400 of Britain's rarest lizard released across UK sites

The endangered lizard has almost disappeared from Britain due to loss of its heath and sandy habitats from agriculture, forest and building developments

Press Association
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 3 September 2009 11.49 BST

Hundreds of sand lizards are being released at sites across England and Wales in an attempt to bring back the UK's rarest lizard to areas where it has disappeared, conservationists said today.

The reintroductions at five sites in Surrey, Dorset and mid Wales are part of efforts to "turn back the clock on amphibian and reptile declines" in Britain, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation said.

Native frogs toads, newts, lizards and snakes have been hit by loss of their habitats, often as a result of changes to agriculture, planting of forests and building developments.

The first release of around 80 2in-long baby lizards, which have been reared in special hatcheries, will take place at a National Trust nature reserve in Surrey today, the newly formed conservation group said.

Almost 400 young sand lizards will be released over the next fortnight.

The sand lizard was once a common sight on heathland across parts of England and Wales, but widespread destruction of its heath and sand dune habitats led to extinctions at many sites.

According to Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, the lizard was lost altogether from a number of counties including Kent, Sussex, Cornwall, Cheshire and north and west Wales, while more than 90% of suitable habitat has vanished from Surrey, Merseyside and Dorset.

But the wildlife group, formed by the merger of charities Froglife and the Herpetological Conservation Trust, said the animals and their habitats were now protected under the law.

The organisation's Nick Moulton said: "It's great to see them going back, now safely protected, where they belong."

The young lizards have been bred in captivity at a number of locations including Chester and Marwell zoos and even specially modified back gardens.

The breeders have had to minimise contact with the animals to prevent them becoming too tame, which would leave them at risk of being eaten by their main predator, the threatened smooth snake, if they were released.

The five nature reserves, managed by the National Trust, Surrey Heath Borough Council, Dorset Wildlife Trust, the Forestry Commission and the Countryside Council for Wales, have all been assessed over a number of years to make sure they provide the right habitat to be the lizards' new homes.

Further releases of captive-bred animals will take place over the next few years.

The reintroduction of the sand lizards is part of a 133-point action plan designed to reverse the declines in the UK's frogs, toads, lizards and snakes, including research, monitoring of species and encouraging land-owners to create habitats such as ponds to help the wild animals flourish.

Dr Tom Tew, chief scientist at Natural England, the government's conservation agency, said: "Reptiles and amphibians are coming under pressure from an increasing number of factors including habitat loss, disease and a future of climate change.

"This important reintroduction programme is an example of the action that must be taken to reverse the decline in England's biodiversity and to conserve the habitats that our unique wildlife relies upon."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/sep/03/sand-lizards-release-uk

See also: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/6125987/Rescue-mission-to-save-rare-UKs-lizard.html and http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8234667.stm (includes video).