The Hjortø Project
Hjortø, Denmark
Copenhagen Zoo’s work with endangered amphibians is a remarkable success story – and one that is likely familiar to many nature enthusiasts. The project began in 2002 and has since helped reintroduce large numbers of endangered amphibians into the wild in Denmark.
How the project started
As mentioned, the conservation project began in 2002, when Lene Rasmussen took the first steps in working with Danish amphibian species. At the time, the work had one clear purpose: to restore the population of European fire-bellied toads around Hjortø.
Since then, the amphibian conservation project has expanded to include several other endangered Danish species, including the natterjack toad and European green toad, as well as new locations across Denmark.
Behind the scenes at Copenhagen Zoo, there is also a dedicated breeding centre for endangered Danish amphibians. Over the decades, the centre has developed specialist expertise that makes it possible to conserve and restore populations of several amphibian species from specific locations in the Danish countryside.
The importance of this work became particularly clear when Denmark was once again hit by severe storm surges in late summer 2023, which had a major impact on wildlife and biodiversity in places such as Hjortø.
What we are working on right now
Today, we work with the local community on Hjortø to improve habitats and restore suitable breeding sites on higher ground, helping to protect the island’s European fire-bellied toad population from the impacts of climate change. As an additional safeguard, we also continue to maintain a breeding population of European fire-bellied toads from Hjortø.
We also monitor the amphibian populations on an ongoing basis, allowing us to track how the populations develop over time.
The future of the project
We aim to launch further initiatives on Hjortø to make the local European fire-bellied toad populations more resilient to the impacts of climate change. At the same time, these efforts will help enhance nature experiences on the island and support both local tourism and biodiversity in the long term.
Our other projects
At Copenhagen Zoo, we are actively involved in conservation projects around the world. Which project would you like to explore next?
