Projects & surveys

Amphibian and Reptile Groups (ARGs) are autonomous volunteer groups involved in numerous local projects and campaigns. ARGs are hubs of local expertise, containing many experienced herpetologists. Collectively they form a national network of volunteers who are essential contributors to largescale projects.

ARG volunteers participate in the following national projects:

Details: Projects & surveys

Funded through DEFRA’s Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) programme

An exciting new partnership project led by Amphibian and Reptile Groups of the UK and Cannock Chase National Landscape with the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and volunteers from Shropshire and Staffordshire ARG, Birmingham and Black Country ARG and Warwickshire Amphibian and…

Details: Projects & surveys

Please fill in our simple online recording form and help us to learn more about the distribution of Scotland’s largest terrestrial reptile. Until 2010, it was generally believed that wild grass snakes (Natrix helvetica) do not occur in Scotland. However, three confirmed records were made in Dumfries…

Details: Projects & surveys

As a part of the Dragons in the Hills project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, we have developed a set of outreach resource packs for primary aged-children that can be used for classroom or other outreach sessions with this age group. Each pack has…

Details: Projects & surveys

An opportunity to repeat a survey commissioned by Scottish Natural Heritage, and originally published in 1994 (see references). This was presented at an afternoon workshop at the Scottish ARGs Meeting on 30.10.2021- you can download the recording here

Background

The report 'Status of the…

Details: Projects & surveys

1. Background

In a climate of wildlife declines, reintroducing species to locations from which they have disappeared has become an increasingly popular suggestion. For species with limited dispersal abilities, such as amphibians and reptiles, actively moving them may be the only way of restoring them…

Details: Projects & surveys

Based in the Newry, Mourne and Down District, Dragons in the Hills has been awarded £100,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, to find out more about Northern Ireland’s own little dragons – our three native amphibians and reptiles: common frog, common lizard and smooth…

Details: Projects & surveys

Our Adders are Amazing Resource packs are now available to download in English and Cymraeg:

Adders are Amazing! Resource Pack Pecyn Adnoddau Gwiberod Gwych! We can also post out special packs containing all 24 activity sheets in a handy folder - these are available for just…

Details: Projects & surveys

This exciting new project, led by our Pembrokeshire Adder Coordinator, Sam Langdon, is delivering the ‘community engagement’ aspect of a wider programme to prevent this iconic, but vulnerable native snake from slipping into extinction in large parts of England and Wales. The project has taken…

Read more: The Adder Campaign

Details: Projects & surveys

Toadsare normally solitary creatures, but during the spring period, from early February through to early April (depending on weather variables), they will join with hundreds of other toads to migrate to their ancestral breeding ponds, crossing anything in their path. Sometimes this involves crossing busy…

Details: Projects & surveys

ARG UK, in partnership with Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC), are launching two questionnaires as part of a wider project on the status of the adder (Vipera berus) in Great Britain. These questionnaires are designed to assess the current regional status of the adder, and…

Details: Projects & surveys

During the survey season, we are asking you to keep a close eye out for any amphibians and reptiles that appear to be behaving in an abnormal manner, or animals with unusual lumps or bumps or skin lesions. There are a number of possible causes…

Details: Projects & surveys

The largest of our three native species of newt, growing up to 15 cm in length, great crested newts. Triturus cristatus are easily distinguishable from our smaller newts: the smooth newt Lissotriton vulgaris and the palmate newt L. helveticus as, in addition to their larger size, they are dark…

Details: Projects & surveys

Support the 'Reptile Slough Genebank Project' Research indicates that our native reptile populations may be in decline, and more information is urgently needed to understand what is happening. In the UK a important factor could be increasing fragmentation and isolation of populations, through development and…

Details: Projects & surveys

PondNet is a new national volunteer survey which aims to collect information about trends in pond quality and pond species, including uncommon plants and animals. It is being coordinated by Freshwater Habitats Trust, but ARGUK and ARC Trust are both project partners. Environmental DNA (eDNA)…

Details: Projects & surveys

Roadside gully pots are essential for road drainage, but can act as pitfall traps when small animals, including mammals and amphibians, fall through the grid and become trapped subsequently either dying of starvation, or being washed into the sewer system by rainwater. Studies by RAVON…

Nurture the nature in your garden - Call for garden-owners to help save Britain's wildlife

ARGUK has been asked to contribute to a new project, the Garden Wildlife Health Project which is being run by a consortium of wildlife organisations including the British Trust for Ornithology and…

Details: Projects & surveys

Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, together with our partner organisation, Amphibian and Reptile Groups of UK (ARG UK) co-hosted a very special meeting in Somerset in October, to discuss how best to conserve the adder, arguably the most vulnerable of our native reptiles. You can…

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