The spread of the fire salamander in Flanders: there is still work to be done!

Extinct in Voerstreek and Heuvelland

The distribution of the fire salamander in Flanders (see map below) is limited to the older, larger oak-beech forests in the southern half of East Flanders and Flemish Brabant, with a clear focus in the Flemish Ardennes. Some historically known populations are probably extinct, including in the Limburg Voerstreek and the West Flemish Heuvelland. But also in East Flanders and Flemish Brabant several sites could not be reconfirmed. For East Flanders, this includes the Bos t’Ename, the Feelbos, the Fontein and Beiaardbos, the Koppenbergbos, Bois Joly, the Ingelbos, the Boelarebos, the Nieuwenhovebos and the Neigembos. In Flemish Brabant, the species was recently no longer observed in the Heverleebos.

Searched and found again!

But it’s not all doom and gloom: two long-lost populations could recently be confirmed in resp. the Bouvelobos (East Flanders) and Zoot (Flemish Brabant). And there’s more: some new populations were recently discovered in the vicinity of the Hallerbos (Flemish Brabant) in the Vlasmarkt, the Begijnenbos and the Clauseweidebos. In East Flanders, the species was first identified in the Nukerkebos-Bosheide.