Two lakes in Glubokoe District to be populated with endangered broad-clawed crayfish
05/11/20120 views
On November 5, Vitebsk /Olga Bogacheva - BELTA/. The red-listed broad-fingered crayfish will be massively introduced on November 6 into the lakes of the Glubokoe district, Irina Novak, public relations specialist for the UNDP/GEF "Biodiversity" project, told a BELTA correspondent.
The lakes of Beloe and Mlichino have been designated as the venue for the conservation event "Let's Save the Broad-fingered Crayfish in Belarus," where over 300 individuals of the broad-fingered crayfish will be released.
These water bodies were identified during a study of the biological and landscape diversity of the Glubokoe district, which was carried out under the UNDP/GEF project this year. A total of 36 lakes' flora and fauna were studied. The research showed that only one population of the broad-fingered crayfish has survived in the region. The main reasons for its disappearance are crayfish plague, as well as habitat changes due to declining surface and groundwater levels, deterioration of water quality, etc.
The "Let's Save the Broad-fingered Crayfish in Belarus" event is organized under the UNDP/GEF project "Integrating Biodiversity Conservation into Spatial Planning Policies and Practices in Belarus" ("Biodiversity"). The national implementing agency of the project is the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of Belarus.
"Thanks to the fact that the broad-fingered crayfish has been under protection in Belarus for over 30 years, its population is being maintained in the country. However, new approaches are needed for the further conservation of the species. According to the UNDP/GEF "Biodiversity" project, one of the most promising solutions for maintaining its population will be tested – the introduction of the broad-fingered crayfish into potential habitats," noted Natalia Minchenko, Head of the Department of Biological and Landscape Diversity of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection.
In turn, Vladimir Koltunov, manager of the UNDP/GEF "Biodiversity" project, emphasized the uniqueness of this event. "It lies in the fact that we are introducing the broad-fingered crayfish into so-called landlocked lakes. As a result, new populations will be largely protected from both crayfish plague epidemics and displacement by the narrow-fingered crayfish. In the future, the broad-fingered crayfish populations of the Glubokoe district may become broodstock for large-scale conservation efforts for this species in Belarus," he said.
The Noble Crayfish has been included in the Red Book of the Republic of Belarus (Category III) since 1981. The International Red Book (IUCN) classifies it as a threatened species. The protection of the Noble Crayfish is also provided for by the Bern Convention (Appendix II) and the EU Directives on habitats and species.
The Noble Crayfish is a species of decapod crustaceans. It inhabits rivers and, as a rule, flowing lakes. A prerequisite for its existence is the presence of dense soils suitable for burrow construction. It feeds mainly on aquatic plants, but mollusks, worms, aquatic insects and their larvae, dead fish, frogs and their spawn, and similar "products" are not uncommon in its diet. Crayfish are capable of reproduction from the fourth year of life at a body length of 7-8 cm. In November, females lay and attach about 200 eggs to their abdominal limbs, carrying them for 7-8 months. During this entire period, the female washes the eggs with water using her limbs, cleans them from silt and parasites, but almost half of the eggs die. Young crayfish, up to 8 mm in size, appear in May-June. They spend their first summer on aquatic vegetation, sometimes using empty mollusk shells as shelters. They grow slowly, and by autumn their size does not exceed 2 cm. The maximum lifespan of the Noble Crayfish is unknown, but individuals 15-20 cm long and weighing up to 200 g are occasionally found, which likely corresponds to an age of 15-20 years. -0-
BELTA