Prevent access to livestock water feeders

Overall effectiveness category Awaiting assessment
Number of studies: 1
Share Tweet Email

View assessment score

How is the evidence assessed?

Effectiveness

not assessed
Certainty

not assessed
Harms

not assessed

Calculating overall effectiveness category

Background information and definitions

Reptiles can become trapped in low level water feeders or feeders with vertical sides. Preventing access to feeders by using mesh covers may reduce reptile mortality.

Study locations

Key messages

One study evaluated the effects of preventing access to livestock water feeders on reptile populations. This study was in Morocco.

COMMUNITY RESPONSE (0 STUDIES)

POPULATION RESPONSE (1 STUDY)

Survival (1 study): One replicated, randomized, controlled, before-and-after study in Morocco found that covering water feeder openings with wire mesh resulted in fewer combined reptiles and amphibians being trapped compared to water feeders without mesh covers.

BEHAVIOUR (0 STUDIES)

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

A replicated, randomized, controlled, before-and-after study in 2014–2016 in three areas of desert shrub and grassland in south-western Morocco (Pleguezuelos et al. 2017) found that adding mesh covers to ground-level livestock water feeders resulted in fewer reptiles and amphibians being trapped. Ground-level water feeders with in and outflow openings covered by wire mesh trapped fewer reptiles and amphibians (17% of feeders; 0.3 individuals trapped/feeder) compared to water feeders without wire mesh covers attached (36% of feeders; 0.8 individuals trapped/feeder). Before mesh covers were attached, numbers of reptiles and amphibian species trapped were similar amongst all feeders located in the same areas (see original paper for details). Rectangular concrete, roofed, ground-level water feeders (‘cisterns’, all <15 years old) designed to capture rainwater for livestock were surveyed in three zones (168–212 km²) in the north-western Sahara Desert (24 feeders/zone). Water inlet and overflow openings were covered with wire mesh on 12 randomly selected feeders/zone. All feeders were surveyed for reptiles and amphibians once before mesh was applied in November 2014 (zones 1 and 2) or October 2015 (zone 3) and again either four times in June 2015–April 2016 (zones 1 and 2) or twice in March–April 2016 (zone 3). All dead and live reptiles and amphibians found inside feeders were recorded.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Pleguezuelos J.M., García-Cardenete L., Caro J., Feriche M., Pérez-García M.T., Santos X., Sicilia M. & Fahd S. (2017) Barriers for conservation: mitigating the impact on amphibians and reptiles by water cisterns in arid environments. Amphibia-Reptilia, 38, 113-118.

Please cite as:

Sainsbury K.A., Morgan W.H., Watson M., Rotem G., Bouskila A., Smith R.K. & Sutherland W.J. (2021) Reptile Conservation: Global Evidence for the Effects of Interventions for reptiles. Conservation Evidence Series Synopsis. University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

All the journals searched for all synopses

This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Reptile Conservation

Related Actions

Actions	Effectiveness	Studies	Category
Cease livestock grazing: Grassland & shrubland Action Link	Awaiting assessment	15	Synopsis Link
Create uncultivated margins around arable or pasture fields Action Link	Awaiting assessment	2	Synopsis Link
Raise mowing height Action Link	Awaiting assessment	1	Synopsis Link