Volunteer with Amphibians and Reptiles

Want to help amphibians and reptiles? They certainly need help, as Froglife say their numbers have declined 31%. The State of Nature Report was first published back in September 2023. It reported that the UK's wildlife was in steep decline - and nearly one in six of the 10,000 species who were assessed are at risk of being lost from the UK. That's 16% - but for amphibians and reptiles, it's far higher - a very worrying 31%.

So we need to do what we can to tackle this decline and reverse it. There are different ways to help amphibians and reptiles:

21st October: Reptile Awareness Day

This awareness day gives us all a perfect opportunity to raise awareness of the plight of reptiles and amphibians, and why they matter. Habitat loss and the illegal wildlife trade threaten them. We can all raise awareness, using these hashtags. Find out what you can about helping and share it online!

#ReptileAwarenessDay
#Reptiles
#Conservation
#WildlifeProtection
#ReptileEnthusiast
#LearnAboutReptiles
#ProtectReptiles

Volunteer

There are a number of charities you can volunteer with

Froglife.
Their vision is "a world in which reptile and amphibian populations are flourishing as part of healthy ecosystems." Froglife say they can often tailor volunteering posts around your needs and interests, from practical work, to helping their education team or using your IT skills - or helping toads cross roads. Their volunteering information is here. They've also got a newsletter, Croak, that you can subscribe to, so as to get all the latest news and updates or you can Become a Friend from £18.00 a year. Their online shop gives you the chance to sponsor a lizard, snake, toad, frog etc and you can even sponsor a pond, so giving wildlife essential habitat. Take a look at their Natterchat magazine to find out all the latest news!

The Amphibian and Reptile Groups of the UK (ARG UK)
ARC "promotes the conservation of our native amphibians and reptiles and their environment by promoting and supporting the development of a network of independent Amphibian and Reptile Groups (ARGs)."Please can I draw your attention to their incredible Useful Links page on which you'll find a lot more conservation groups working to help reptiles and amphibians.

Amphibian and Reptile Conservation need people to help with conservation, surveying and lending a hand at events.

The ARC Trust owns and manages over 80 reserves across the country so there are plenty of volunteering opportunities. Volunteering is a wonderful way to meet like-minded people, and there's nothing like getting outside and exericisng - and that's all the better if you can help conservation! There are a lot of local groups around the country - slither off here to find your local ARG group here

They have a new Adder Guide, information on adder bites here, escaped pet snakes here, and an online In Memory page, so that you can donate of your loved one.

Wildlife spotting

Report what you find or spot in your garden or when you’re out and about. Amphibian and Reptiles Conservation can help you identify what you’ve seen. This helps conservationists build up a picture of where amphibians and reptiles are and where they aren't but used to be so that they can identify species which need help. You can record your sightings in their Record Pool when you see an amphibian or reptile, and they have information on how to identify what you've seen, hopping and slithering about. .

Frolife have an app you can use called Dragon Finder - you can use it to identify reptiles and amphibians while you're out and about, to report a sighting and to find out more about a species.

Check out this app called Dragon Finder from Froglife

Join projects and surveys

Give them a hand with your eyes and record your results and let them know about them. There are some fascinating projects and surveys being done to help amphibians and reptiles and and it can be a great way to discover a lot more about the wildlife you're spotting. We spotted an adder a couple of years ago on a walk, and of course we went home and looked up information about the adder and recording our sighting of it - it was a very exciting thing to do and we felt very protective of the snake.

Create a wildlife pond in your garden

It doesn’t need to be large – a small one will do. Froglife has a Just Add Water campaign – click here to hop off to the Just Add water campaign. Adding water to your garden is really important and will make a huge difference to wildlife. We've seen a huge difference in ours.

There’s plenty you can do to encourage amphibians and reptiles into your own garden – this is becoming more and more important as natural habitats are destroyed. And you can join a local effort to help them. The Wildlife Trusts have actions you can take to help.

Join the Toad on the Road Patrol

Give toads a helping hand and become a Toad Patroller. The Toads on Roads project registers ‘migratory crossings’ and helps coordinate local Toad Patrols. Patrols can apply to local councils for road warning signs to be put up and actively help toads cross the road.

Donate for habitat protection and creation

There will be any number of appeals by charities looking to purchase and protect and manage land – habitat – where many species live, including amphibians and reptiles. Take a look at your favourite charity and see what they are doing and how you can help. We’ll also have information about appeals on Take Action for Wildlife Conservation.

Find out more

ARC has a number of books about amphibians and reptiles in its online shop, whilst Froglife has some guides and books too. For teachers and those wanting to get youngsters interested in wildlife, the ARC Trust has resources you can download for KS1 and KS2 whilst Froglife has a Learning Zone. Froglife also has a "Reserve Warden for a Day" at Hampton Nature Reserve near Peterborough, for £100.00. Find out about it here.

By the way, I bought two snakes (not real, soft toy snakes) and they have made excellent draught excluders at the bottom of doors! London Zoo's shop has a number of soft toy snakes to choose from.