Info & Advice

Photo © Ray Hamilton

Info & Advice

ARG UK Forms and Procedures

Documents for local ARG groups and volunteers, including application forms, risk assessments, etc.

ID guides

We feature ID guides for England, Scotland and Wales which feature a broad range of the native amphibian and reptile species, plus some commonly observed non native species. These are authored and published by ARG UK Trustee John Baker, and were produced jointly with Amphibian and Reptile Conservation. You are welcome to download the pdf format from our website, and A5 printed versions, suitable for field use, can be obtained by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  

We have separate ID guides for Northern Ireland, reflecting the smaller range of species found there, but with additional information about the animals, and more life stage photos. These 'Dragons in the Hills' publications were produced by the three project partners, ARG UK, NMDDC and HSI, and generously funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund for Northern Ireland. They are available in English language and Irish language versions. You are welcome to download these from our website, or if you would like the A5 versions, suitable for field use please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ARG Today (Our newsletter)

ARG Today is the e-newsletter of ARG UK edited by Colin Williams.

ARG UK Logo / Brand guidelines

Here you can download the ARG UK logo in plain, circle and icon format, in a range of file types for different uses. These logos, along with our brand guidelines (for colours and fonts) are available to be used for legitimate purposes by any ARG affiliated to ARG UK.

ARGWEB

ARGWEB – a new toolkit tailor-made for our affiliated volunteer Amphibian and Reptile Groups (ARGS). ARGWEB  was originally set up by our Surrey group (SARG) to provide a suit of online tools (apps) to manage their membership and other stakeholders including land managers and project partners in a GDPR compliant manner. Now that it is tried and tested, we have made the system available to other groups and to date over 30 ARGs have adopted it. As well as membership, ARGWEB also supports site-based amphibian and reptile surveys to allow for site monitoring, and in 2019 we have introduced a toad patrol app, to enable patrollers to more easily collate amphibian numbers and patrollers’ effort.  By enabling site managers and other partners, including ARC and Froglife to access data for their sites in real time it also provides a tool for site management.

Events - ARG UK Seminar Series

Downloads from our 2020 ARG UK Seminar Series

JNCC 7th Quinquennial Review

Every five years, the country nature conservation bodies (Natural England, Natural Resources Wales and NatureScot), working jointly through the UK Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), review Schedules 5 and 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (WCA) 1981. The review will provide recommendations to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and to Ministers for the Environment in the Scottish Government and Welsh Government for changes to these schedules. This is known as the Quinquennial Review (QQR).

 

Protecting The Habitats Regulations

The Habitat Regulations have played a huge part in saving precious places for wildlife in the last 30 years. These powerful laws give nature a say on where we build new developments. They help knock back projects which threaten vulnerable wildlife. They give a firm but polite “no thank you” to plans which would damage nature’s unique places. In exceptional circumstances where projects must be built, they ensure new habitat is created elsewhere.

Now, at a time when nature needs them more than ever, there is a threat that the Habitat Regulations will be weakened or taken away altogether. Here is a guide to what they are, why they’re under threat and the action we want to see from the UK Government to make sure they remain.

Taken from RSPB Press Release August 2022

pdf ARG UK Annual Review for AGM 9 Feb 2019 Popular

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ARG UK Annual Review for AGM 9 Feb 2019.pdf

ARG UK Annual Review for 2019 AGM

pdf ARG UK Safeguarding Policy Statement December 2019.pdf Popular

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ARG UK Safeguarding Policy Statement December 2019.pdf

Amphibian & Reptile Groups of UK (ARG UK) is a registered charity (number 1165504) committed to the conservation of native amphibians and reptiles and their natural environment by supporting the development of a network of independent volunteer amphibian and reptile groups (ARGs). As part of that focus, we organise and participate in educational and outreach activities for the benefit of our volunteers, conservation partners and the wider public and to promote the conservation of our native species. This includes outreach with schools and youth groups, with community groups that may include vulnerable and protected adults; and with the wider public at events and training days, run by us, and that we attend as part of our community outreach programme. Our safeguarding policy applies equally to our volunteers and members of the wider public attending our events, activities and training days. We want all of our volunteers including children and vulnerable and protected adults to enjoy their involvement with ARG UK and its affiliated groups. To engender this we commit to operating safely, with safeguarding as the top priority, and to act and be seen to act appropriately at all times.

pdf ARG UK Advice Note 12 Amphibian and Reptile Reintroduction Guidelines Nov 2024 (updated) New

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ARG UK Advice Note 12 - Amphibian and Reptile Reintroduction Guidelines Nov 2024 (updated) (4).pdf

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pdf Griffiths and Harding - IUCN guidelines for translocating adders.pdf Popular

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Griffiths and Harding - IUCN guidelines for translocating adders.pdf

pdf Herpetofauna Legislation for England Wales updated Feb 2024 Popular

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Herpetofauna Legislation for England Wales updated Feb 2024.pdf

This note summarises the protection afforded explicitly to native reptiles and amphibians (herpetofauna) in England and Wales through nature conservation legislation. Note that in practice, reptiles and amphibians may receive additional protection through other routes, and we do not cover those in this note. These routes include: legislation protecting sites (such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest) and landscapes (such as National Parks); animal welfare legislation; and land use planning.

pdf Public interactions with adders - Vanishing Viper workshop 8th October 2016.pdf Popular

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Public interactions with adders - Vanishing Viper workshop 8 October 2016.pdf

pdf Toad fly (Lucilia bufonivora) Fact Sheet GWH.pdf Popular

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Toad fly (Lucilia bufonivora) Fact Sheet GWH.pdf