Development of the Chinese giant salamander Andrias davidianus farming industry in Shaanxi Province, China: conservation threats and opportunities

摘要: The Chinese giant salamander Andrias davidianus is endemic to China and Critically Endangered, largely because of overexploitation for food. This species an expensive delicacy in China, a rapidly growing industry farm the has developed throughout much country, centred on Qinling Mountain region Shaanxi Province. During 2010 workshop conservation, which involved range stakeholders from across it became clear that conservation community knew little about farming whether posed actual or potential threats opportunities salamander. We therefore conducted series investigations understand better. Our results indicate although salamanders be positive development by supplying market demand with farmed animals, currently more likely threaten than support species, continued added impacts infectious disease genetic pollution arising practices such as movement animals country release untreated wastewater wild.