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Wildlife
- Close
- - We protect wildlife in Britain and around the world by bringing our most threatened species back from the brink of extinction. We do this through ground-breaking research, practical conservation and education, all with the help of our supporters.
Wild places
- Close
- - Some habitats contain such a richness of life that we need to protect them at all odds. We are working to preserve ancient woodlands, orchards and wood pastures and parklands, as well as the countless species they support.
What we do
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- - Everything we do is based on scientific evidence. We gather this through surveys, which you can take part in, and by awarding research grants to the most inspiring scientists worldwide. This evidence guides our conservation efforts and is shared through our events and publications.
Who we are
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- - People’s Trust for Endangered Species was set up in 1977 to save our wildlife. We are governed by a board of volunteer trustees and our team of staff are passionate about protecting endangered species and places.
Success stories
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- - We strive to bring our most threatened species in the UK and around the world back from the brink of extinction. Our successes come from ground-breaking research, practical conservation and education, all with the help of our supporters.
Get involved
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- - There are so many ways you can help save endangered species. Fancy taking part in a survey, joining us on a wildlife event or becoming a regular supporter?
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- - Support our work in our shop with a range of charity gifts, home-ware, cards and more. 100% of the profits go directly to help wildlife both in the UK an overseas.
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- - There is nothing natural about the alarming rate at which we are losing animals and their homes. It is absolutely avoidable. We can stop the loss of our wildlife – but we need your support. You can act now by choosing to give to our cause. Thank you.

Home // Research grants // Our worldwide projects // Caving in search of the world’s rarest newt

Caving in search of the world’s rarest newt

hyrcanian-forest-Gorgon-cave-salamander-PTES

Cave tourism, pet trade, deforestation threathen one of the world's rarest newts

Funding for this project has now finished

The problem

Gorgan’s cave newts are so rare that we don’t know the full extent of where they live. One of the rarest amphibians in the world, the species is endemic to Northeastern Iran, found only in Golestan province. Currently the only known population is in Shir-Abad Cave, set within a beautiful forested region, surrounded by waterfalls. Gorgan’s cave newts can be found in the ponds deep inside the cave. Unfortunately, due to its spectacular natural beauty and wild swimming, over the last few years tourism has become increasingly popular in the area. As more and more visitors come, this rare cave newt, and its fragile home, are becoming more threatened by human disturbance.

Gorgon-cave-shirabad-copyright-www.theiranproject.com — The Shir-Abad cave, image copyright www.theiranproject.com

The Shir-Abad cave, image copyright www.theiranproject.com

The solution

We’re glad to provide funds to help Saeed Hosseinian and his team to take the crucial steps towards protecting these beautiful creatures. Saeed is hoping to discover new habitats that fit what we know are the species’ requirements or, hopefully, new populations. The Gorgan Cave newt, or salamander as it’s often known, was last assessed in 2008. Due to its scarcity, it was deemed critically endangered and it was thought that only 100 breeding adults remained.

saeed-hosseinian-PTES-Gorgon-cave-salamander — Saeed Hosseinian, project leader

Since then, Saeed and his team decided to carry out comprehensive fieldwork within the Hyrcanian forests, along the coastal region of the Caspian Sea. This was to find other probable populations or suitable habitat for the species. Sadly, these investigations were not successful. However, importantly, the work did increase awareness about the newts and their importance amongst the local people.

Now, Saeed plans to monitor the waterfalls throughout the year. By intensively studying these habitats, he hopes to gain a good understanding of the species, and what its needs are. When he has more news, he will report back. Any new information he gathers will help us understand more about the ecology of the Gorgan cave salamander. This will, in turn, help protect the species and its habitat from any further loss in the future.

Thank you to all our donors who helped us fund this work. You can help us support more projects like this with a donation today:

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