Species Use Database

green mantella
Mantella viridis

Used for Keeping/companionship/display, Learning and education and Recreation in Madagascar

A. Species

Scientific name: Mantella viridis

Common name(s): green mantella

Global IUCN Red List Threat Status: Endangered


B. Location of use

Geographic location(s):

  • Madagascar

Country/Region:


C. Scale of assessment

Scale of assessment: National Level

Name/Details of location: Madagascar


D. Timescale of use

Start Year: 2013

End Year: 2013


E. Information about the use

How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat

Type of use: Extractive

Practice of use: Hunting and/or Trapping of live terrestrial and aerial animals

Lethal or non-lethal: Non-Lethal

Does this use involve take/extraction of: The whole entire organism

Purpose(s) of end use: Keeping/companionship/display, Learning and education and Recreation

Motivation of use: Income generation from trade (individual/household/community)

Is this use legal or illegal?: Illegal under national law


F. Information about the Users

Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: Local people, Non-local Internal, Non-local External, National / local government and National / local private sector


G. Information about the sustainability of use

Is there evidence that the use is having an impact on the target species?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an ecological perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered unsustainable

Details of assessment carried out: CITES Non detriment findings

Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Establishing a quota of any kind would be detrimental because: - It is currently difficult to identify the following species morphologically: M. viridis, M. ebenaui, M. cf. viridis, M. cf. ebenaui ; - Uncertainty about the taxonomy of these species leads to the exact distribution of a species such as M. viridis being restricted; - Most of the area of distribution currently known for the M. viridis species is located outside protected areas; - The sites on which collection may be authorized are located on the periphery of the protected areas, which means that collection could have an impact on the species conservation.

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered unsustainable

Details of assessment carried out: CITES Non detriment findings; implicit

Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: ecologically unsustainable

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: not recorded

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a human health perspective been recorded?: not recorded

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an animal health/welfare perspective been recorded?: not recorded


Recommendations provided in the record to maintain or enhance the sustainability of the use of the target species

Systematic classification unclear; If this one species actually represents two, the taxonomy should be revised and the vulnerability of each species should be assessed before deciding on whether to reopen trade. The proposal for a new quota will be decided upon once the viability of the population has been assessed. A management strategy will be put in place once the results of these assessments are ready.


Record source

Information about the record source: formal_data_stats

Date of publication/issue/production: 2013-01-01T00:00:00+0000

Source Reference(s):

Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), 2013. Studies on the Mantella viridis amphibian for the purpose of reopening international trade in the species. Report prepared by Madagasikara Voakajy. Geneva, Switzerland, 27 pages.

Date of record entry: 2023-09-21