Amphibians and reptiles are some of the best species to see on a farm and they can help us understand the health of the land and give us a good idea of how the overall ecosystem is doing.

These creatures are seeing a massive decline in populations due to lots of different factors like:

Habitat loss

Chemicals

Urbanisation

Climate change 

Invasive species

It is important to monitor amphibian and reptile species to see how their population trends are changing.

When we get this data we can look at what the farm can do to help improve these populations, such as, creating more habitats in their natural environment to encourage more wildlife to come into the area.

We will be working with the Cumbrian Amphibian and Reptile Group to conduct baseline assessments of our wetlands at Houghton and Aglionby.

Led by Amelia Gibson, our Biodiversity Project Assistant, we will be looking for the native species in Cumbria which includes 6 species of amphibian and 4 species of reptile:

Natterjack toad (Epidalea calamita) 

Common toad (Bufo bufo) 

Common frog (Rana temporaria) 

Palmate newt (Lissotriton helveticus) 

Great crested newt (Triturus cristatus) 

Smooth newt (Lissotriton vulgaris) 

Common Lizard (Lacerta vivipara) 

Slow worm (Anguis fragilis) 

Grass Snake (Natrix natrix) 

Adder (Vipera berus) 

Most of these species are on the decline and a few are endangered species which means they are becoming harder to find.

Locating areas where they would live is important for finding reliable habitats for them to flourish.

Once we understand which species use our wetlands we will investigate ways to increase our amphibian and reptile biodiversity.