De boomkikkerpopulatie in de Leemputten uit de gevarenzone

Rond 1985 was de boomkikker (Hyla arborea) in Noord-Brabant bijna uitgestorven. In de Leemputten bij Udenhout bevond zich één van de laatste drie overgebleven en van elkaar geïsoleerde populaties. Het uitsterven van de boomkikker in de Leemputten werd voorkomen, doordat de terreineigenaar Brabants Landschap een aantal biotoopverbeterende maatregelen nam en doordat gedurende enkele jaren volgroeide boomkikkerlarven bijgeplaatst werden. Ook de afgelopen tien jaar is er veel gebeurd in dit gebied. Tijd voor een terugblik. Common tree frog finally out of the danger zone in Dutch nature reserve the Leemputten The Common Tree Frog (Hyla arborea) almost became extinct in the Dutch province of Noord-Brabant in 1985. One of the last three isolated populations was present in the nature reserve Leemputten near the village Udenhout. Extinction could be prevented by means of a habitat restoration plan in conjunction with a breeding program. The history of the population is described in an earlier article in this journal (van Erve & Crombaghs, 2014). After a steady increase in numbers in the 1990’s and 2000’s the population was in decline from 2013 onwards to 2018. The population is once again increasing. From 2018 on a strong recovery was noted. Counts of calling males and juveniles in the summer habitat peaked at 407 and 588 males in 2023 and 2024 respectively, and more than 600 juveniles in 2023. The growth of the population is greatly facilitated by the creation of a habitat corridor to the nearby Common Tree Frog population in nature reserve ‘De Brand’. Due to the aforementioned actions it is believed that the population is secured for the foreseeable future.