Pond-breeding amphibians are affected by site-specific factors and regional and landscape-scale
patterns of land use. Recent anthropogenic landscape modifications (drainage, agriculture intensification,
larger road networks, and increased traffic) affect species by reducing the suitable habitat area and fragmenting
remaining populations. Using a robust concentric approach based on permutation tests, we evaluated the
impact of recent landscape changes on the presence of the endangered European tree frog (Hyla arborea) in
wetlands. We analyzed the frequency of 1 traffic and 14 land-use indices at 20 circular ranges ( from 100-m up
to 2-km radii) around 76 ponds identified in western Switzerland. Urban areas and road surfaces had a strong
adverse effect on tree frog presence even at relatively great distances ( from 100 m up to 1 km). When traffic
measurements were considered instead of road surfaces, the effect increased, suggesting a negative impact due
to a vehicle-induced effect. Altogether, our results indicate that urbanization and traffic must be taken into
account when pond creation is an option in conservation management plans, as is the case for the European
tree frog in western Switzerland. We conclude that our easy-to-use and robust concentric method of analysis can
successfully assist managers in identifying potential sites for pond creation, where probability of the presence
of tree frogs is maximize