The management plan of Austropotamobius pallipes in Trentino: priorities for conservation

The management plan of Austropotamobius pallipes in Trentino (Italy, Central Alps) provides a global approach to the conservation and restoration of native crayfish, a species whose distribution in Trentino has become patchy and greatly reduced in the last 50 years, due to the decline of their habitat, and the introduction of alien species which carry the crayfish plague. The management plan of A. pallipes was developed in 2017 under the patronage of the Provincia Autonoma di Trento - Servizio Sviluppo Sostenibile e Aree Protette [Trento Autonomous Province - Sustainable Development and Protected Areas Office]. The plan addresses: 1) monitoring methods for habitats and populations, with interventions and activities which differ according to the status of the populations (stable, extinct in recent times, reintroduced); 2) conservation and restoration of populations and their habitats in selected areas, with different actions (creation of multipurpose ponds, source areas; rearing and reintroductions); 3) monitoring and control of alien species and their transmissible diseases (e.g. crayfish plague); 4) creation of a database and website for the management of distribution data, and for the collection of records from sensitive categories; 5) involvement of angler associations for monitoring and rearing activities; 5) citizen science activities for updates on crayfish distribution using a dedicated website linked to smartphone applications; 6) dissemination.