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Amphibian and Reptile Groups of the UK
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Can you help monitoring adders?
Make the Adder Count is a survey co-ordinated by
Amphibian & Reptile Conservation. Following a successful pilot project in
2005, we plan to turn it into a long-term national surveillance programme,
collating data from many sites, to monitor trends in adder populations. The
adder is a reptile of particular conservation concern to many people. Although
it is Britain's most widespread snake, there is a strong body of collective
information pointing towards long-term national decline. Make the Adder Count
aims to:
- Provide a yardstick against which to measure the
effectiveness of any future conservation effort.
- Create a focus for local survey and conservation work.
- Raise awareness of adder conservation issues.
Provide quantitative data to monitor
trends in population status.
Strengthen the case for better
protection and guide proactive conservation.
Provide a yardstick
against which to measure the effectiveness of any future conservation
effort.
Raise awareness of adder conservation issues.
How you can help
We want to gain a
measure of national population status by counting adders after their springtime
emergence from winter hibernacula. At this time of year (February to May,
depending on weather and geographical location) adders are at their most
visible, lying out, sometimes in aggregations.
If you or your
colleagues regularly visit an adder hibernation/aggregation site, or know of a
site where you could arrange visits, then a simple count of snakes could help
us to help the adder.
If you already have data on the numbers of adders
you have seen at a particular site (or sites) over past years, we would also be
interested to hear from you.
What sort of experience
you need
Gathering data for this project does require a good
working knowledge of at least one local adder population, familiarity with
adder activity patterns and experience of observing these snakes. If you do not
have the necessary experience, but want to get involved in either Make the
Adder Count or other reptile (or amphibian) survey work, then we recommend that
you contact your nearest amphibian and reptile group. These groups are local
sources of reptile expertise and may be able to provide the necessary training
or organise counts. Contact information is available from the project
co-ordinator (details below).
How to take part
To take part in the project, or to obtain further
information, please contact the project co-ordinator, John Baker:
Phone: 01986 872016
Mobile: 07884 441521
Email:
john.baker@arc-trust.org
Make the Adder Count is part of the National Amphibian and Reptile
Recording Scheme (NARRS) project, an initiative being run by a
partnership of organisations, led by Amphibian & Reptile
Conservation.
If you wish to take part in NARRS please go to
http://www.narrs.org.uk for details.
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