Froglife news

Gardeners urged to look out for little dragons…

noreply@blogger.com (ARC-news) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:56:00 +0000

Launching at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, a new campaign called ‘Dragons in your Garden’ will encourage gardeners to take simple steps to help out the UK’s frogs, toads, newts, snakes and lizards – many of which are disappearing from the wider countryside. By providing free advice to...

Efforts to save UK’s disappearing amphibians and reptiles boosted by charity merger

noreply@blogger.com (ARC-news) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:19:00 +0000

The mounting ‘extinction crisis’ facing frogs, toads, newts, snakes and lizards across the UK and Europe has led to the merger of two UK-based organisations dedicated to their conservation. Launching today, the new charity ‘Amphibian and Reptile Conservation’ -formed from the merger of The...

MERGER UPDATE: Metamorphosis continues at Froglife and The HCT

noreply@blogger.com (ARC-news) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:12:00 +0000

Amphibian and Reptile Conservation -the new organisation forming through the merger of Froglife and The Herpetological Conservation Trust- will be a key feature of this year’s RHS Hampton Court Flower show. The organisations are working on a Dragon Gardens exhibit which will encourage...

Set-aside concerns voiced…

noreply@blogger.com (ARC-news) — Thu, 28 May 2009 14:08:00 +0000

Froglife and The Herpetological Conservation Trust join a number of the UK’s leading conservation organisations in pushing the Government to make the right decision over set-aside in the UK. The EU’s now defunct set-aside policy inadvertently created valuable habitat for a number of species and...

Living Water reaches Bexley

noreply@blogger.com (ARC-news) — Wed, 27 May 2009 15:35:00 +0000

Froglife has received funding from the Cory Ibstock Environmental Trust to extend its London Living Water project into the London Borough of Bexley, in south east London. The project will focus on habitat creation and improvement work needed at Foots Cray Meadows which is a 97 hectare park and...

“Sobering discovery” for Europe’s amphibians and reptiles

noreply@blogger.com (ARC-news) — Wed, 20 May 2009 15:55:00 +0000

More than half of all European amphibians and two-fifths of all reptiles are disappearing, according to new studies commissioned by the European Commission and carried out by IUCN. Announced today, the results are the first of their kind in Europe. They highlight alarming declines for a range of...

The One Show features reptile-friendly gardening

noreply@blogger.com (ARC-news) — Thu, 14 May 2009 12:09:00 +0000

Slow-worms will take a star-turn on tonight’s The One Show on BBC1. They will be featuring in a specially prepared reptile garden, created by Froglife and Herpetosure. The garden will feature a number of reptile-friendly features, including compost heaps, rockeries in which to hide and bask, and...

Disease risk exposed in global amphibian trade

noreply@blogger.com (ARC-news) — Fri, 08 May 2009 09:56:00 +0000

Published research in the US has shown for the first time that the global trade in amphibians is spreading two amphibian diseases – one of which is thought to be behind a number of recent amphibian extinctions. The article, published in the journal Biological Conservation and reported today in New...

Planet says “Save the Frogs” – UK says “Dig for Britain”

noreply@blogger.com (ARC-news) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:01:00 +0000

Frog populations have been disappearing worldwide at unprecedented rates, and nearly one-third of the world’s 6,418 amphibian species are threatened with extinction. At least 100 species have completely disappeared since 1980. In an effort to raise awareness of the plight of amphibians, the...

Bafta award for Life in Cold Blood

noreply@blogger.com (ARC-news) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 10:38:00 +0000

Froglife and the Herpetological Conservation Trust (HCT) congratulate Sir David Attenborough on winning a Bafta for the ground-breaking BBC1 documentary programme about reptiles and amphibians, Life in Cold Blood. Attenborough took to the stage after an excerpt from Life in Cold Blood showed a...

Easter egg search…

noreply@blogger.com (ARC-news) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 08:35:00 +0000

As an alternative to the seasonal celebrations, Froglife is recommending that people go searching for newt eggs this Easter Holiday weekend, and help conservation efforts that may save some amphibians from further declines. “April is an excellent time to reach for the torch to search for newts...

Froglife is metamorphosing…

noreply@blogger.com (ARC-news) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:06:00 +0000

Froglife and The Herpetological Conservation Trust (The HCT) have announced their intention to merge, forming one single strong conservation NGO. The new organisation will be called the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust and will continue the range of activities currently undertaken by...

First UK ‘stock-take’ for reptiles and amphibians

noreply@blogger.com (ARC-news) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 07:55:00 +0000

A national ‘stock-take’ of the reptiles and amphibians in the UK’s gardens is being launched today. Called Reptiles and Amphibians in your Garden, this national project is being undertaken by The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), Froglife and The Herpetological Conservation Trust (HCT). The...

Support for wiser water use

noreply@blogger.com (ARC-news) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 16:25:00 +0000

More than half (52 per cent) the people questioned would not swim in their local river because they think it is too polluted. This is the shocking finding from a survey carried out for the Blueprint for Water, a coalition of leading conservation groups, including Froglife. The survey also found...

St Patrick's Day special: Irish frogs may have survived Ice Age

noreply@blogger.com (ARC-news) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 12:55:00 +0000

Irish frogs may have survived the Ice Age by retreating to a tiny ice-free refuge in Ireland, while mainland Britain’s frogs died out to be re-populated by European frogs, new research suggests. Recent evidence has shown that Ireland's frogs differ from those of mainland Britain, shedding new...

Froglife says “Just Add Water”

noreply@blogger.com (ARC-news) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 11:17:00 +0000

Pond numbers in the UK’s countryside have dropped sharply in the last century, but Just Add Water, a new campaign launched by Froglife, is hoping to help lessen the impact to Britain’s biodiversity by encouraging people to dig ponds closer to homes, in the UK’s towns and cities. These new ponds,...

Myths exposed: “Too much spawn?”

noreply@blogger.com (ARC-news) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:50:00 +0000

Froglife’s enquiry service is in full flow now that the amphibian breeding season is beginning in many parts of the country. One of the most popular enquiries Froglife receives at this time of year is: “I have too much spawn...” In some urban areas, numbers of adult Common frogs returning to ponds...

World's wetlands get recognition

noreply@blogger.com (ARC-news) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 20:26:00 +0000

Froglife is today attending the World Wetlands Day conference in London, organised by CIWEM-CMS. This year's conference will look toward the future and address the issues needed to achieve conservation goals for wetlands over the next five years. Wetlands are of significance for many amphibians,...

Toad Crossings mapped in Google Earth

noreply@blogger.com (ARC-news) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 13:34:00 +0000

The UK’s 700 ‘Toad Crossings’ have been satellite-mapped for the first time, allowing conservationists and volunteers an opportunity to discover more about nearby locations where amphibians are killed on roads on their migration to breeding ponds in spring. Using Google Earth, members of the public...

Appetite for frogs’ legs increases

noreply@blogger.com (ARC-news) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:57:00 +0000

Scientists have called for tighter regulation and monitoring of the global frog-meat market in order to avoid species being "eaten to extinction”. Research published in the journal Conservation Biology suggests that the global market for frog-meat appears to be rising, putting some species at risk...

New year, new ponds…

noreply@blogger.com (ARC-news) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:28:00 +0000

As the earliest hints of spring appear across the UK, new life is taking root in a number of special ponds created by Froglife. Studies of these new ponds will contribute to a Froglife project that will identify how plant and animal species react to different pond management techniques. Over two...

“Let garden ponds breath easy” says amphibian charity

noreply@blogger.com (ARC-news) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:20:00 +0000

As the cold snap continues, Froglife -a UK wildlife charity for amphibians and reptiles- is encouraging pond-owners to consider ensuring garden ponds don’t stay iced over for too long. Common Frogs Rana temporaria often lie dormant on the bottom of garden ponds during winter, but when ponds ice...

Temporary reprieve for toad colony

noreply@blogger.com (ARC-news) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 09:42:00 +0000

Local campaigners in Suffolk have applauded news that a housing development scheme is to be delayed, so that the council can monitor the migration of the 5,000-strong Common Toad population across Kiln Meadow next spring. Earlier in 2008, Froglife announced that the site was the UK’s most active...

Paul O’Grady adder bite – Froglife response

noreply@blogger.com (ARC-news) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:37:00 +0000

Froglife, a national wildlife charity for amphibians and reptiles, has urged for ‘responsible coverage’ from the media today, when reporting on chat-show host Paul O’Grady’s recent adder bite. Headlines so far today include ‘Lily Savaged’ (Mirror); ‘Horror Snake Attack’ (Mirror Online); ‘Adder...

Your Christmas gifts can help us too...

noreply@blogger.com (ARC-news) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:59:00 +0000

As the build-up to Christmas begins, Froglife is urging people to think green for their gift choices – helping wildlife charities through tough financial times. Here are three such gift ideas, profits from which benefit amphibians and reptiles, and help protect their habitats in the UK. 1. Get...