Research by the Rome Bioparco in collaboration with the Roma Tre University

The Aeolian wall lizard is one of the most endangered vertebrates of the Italian territory, and certainly the first among the reptiles, included among the critically endangered species (CR) in the IUCN Red List. It’s an exclusive endemic species of the Aeolian Islands currently present in only four geographically isolated stations.

Unfortunately, most of the populations would have encountered local extinctions in recent times due to the competitive exclusion processes that occurred following the colonization of the archipelago by the Italian wall lizard, Podarcis siculus (in the photos). In 2017 the Rome Bioparco, in collaboration with the Roma Tre University, has begun the housing of a small but significant group of individuals from the island of Vulcano, 50 animals, in order to evaluate their ability to reproduce in captivity.

The conservation project of the Aeolian wall lizard in its articulation in situ and ex situ will allow to know more about the demography, biology and ecology of the species, the threats affecting current populations, the actual feasibility of active conservation programmes on site aimed at mitigating the survival risks detected.