400 rare lizards released into wild as part of ‘rescue operation’ for UK’s reptiles and amphibians

Sand lizards are being released in 5 sites across the UK. Photo credit Fred Holmes.

September 2009. Almost 400 of the UK's rarest lizards are being carefully prepared for release into the wild at sites across England and Wales, starting at a National Trust owned nature reserve in Surrey.

The coordinated action forms part of a major ‘rescue operation' to save the UK's threatened reptiles and amphibians - frogs, toads, newts, snakes and lizards.

The sand lizard Lacerta agilis is the UK's largest and rarest lizard. The two inch long baby sand lizards were reared in special hatcheries, prepared by zoos and experts from Amphibian and Reptile Conservation.

Once common
The male sand lizard's striking green flanks were once a common sight in certain parts of England and Wales. But massive loss of heathland and sand dunes in the twentieth century led to widespread extinctions. Sand lizards were lost entirely from Kent, Sussex, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Hampshire, Devon, Cornwall, Cheshire and north and west Wales. In addition, conservationists estimate that over 90% of suitable habitat in Merseyside, Surrey and Dorset has been lost.

Over the coming fortnight coordinated releases will see them return to their former habitats, now that both the animals and their habitats are protected under wildlife law.

A striking male sand lizard with a female. Credit Fred Holmes.

David Bullock, Head of Nature Conservation at the National Trust, said: "The return of sand lizards to this part of Surrey is a real success story allowing visitors to get closer to these special creatures. We've been able to create the right habitat conditions for this rarest of lizards to flourish and hopefully this can be replicated at sites across England and Wales."

Government wildlife agencies Natural England and Countryside Council for Wales are working in partnership with Amphibian and Reptile Conservation to make the lizard releases go smoothly at other sites in the UK.

5 release sites
Special permissions will see the lizards carefully released at five nature reserves overall, managed by the Countryside Council for Wales, Dorset Wildlife Trust, the Forestry Commission, the National Trust and Surrey Heath Borough Council.

Sand lizards were once common in many counties. Credit: Sam Taylor/ARC.

The 133 point Action Plan for saving amphibians and reptiles has been put together by a partnership involving government bodies - the Countryside Council for Wales, Natural England, Scottish Natural Heritage - and Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, a charity recently formed by the merger of charities Froglife and The Herpetological Conservation Trust.

The 133 actions to reverse declines in the UK's reptiles and amphibians include: monitoring species' distributions, enhancing volunteer networks, undertaking research, and encouraging land-owners to include features (like ponds or basking areas) to help amphibians and reptiles thrive. Some of the work is well underway, while other actions will take many years and additional funding to come to fruition.

Together the actions will help achieve the goals of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan, a major initiative aiming to get everyone working together for threatened wildlife.