Habitat Management

Habitat Management is one of the most important aspects of our work whether directly or by advising others. Loss of habitat and its inability to regenerate which is often due to the same factors that caused its loss in the first place is the the main cause of the sad plight of much of our wildlife including amphibians and reptiles. Examples of the kind of work carried out are set out below.

Lowland dry heathland - Britain's most important reptile habitat

The heathlands of southern England are some of the best and most extensive in Europe and yet are also one of the World's most endangered habitats.

Heathland must remain open and warm in order to maintain its wildlife interest and therefore needs constant management to prevent succession to woodland. The HCT's heathland management practices have been developed as a result of many years of experience. Our management prescription includes the removal and subsequent control of tree cover, control of bracken and invasive scrub, cutting and maintenance of firebreaks to limit the disastrous effects that a heath fire can have, and the creation of areas of exposed sand for Sand Lizard egg laying. Today our efficiency is greatly improved through the use of specialised machinery wherever and whenever appropriate. As well as benefiting reptiles, the Trust's well established management techniques also benefit a wide range of other heathland specialists, in particular birds and insects. Much of our heathland management work is financially assisted by grants from Natural England's Reserve Enhancement Scheme.

Sand Dunes and slacks - The Natterjack's Stronghold

Sand dunes are a dynamic habitat. New dunes form on the seaward side of the dune system as old dunes become covered by scrub and tree growth and lost to woodland. Unfortunately, in many parts of the country, human activities prevent the formation of new dunes and rare species have no new habitat to colonise as former habitat disappears naturally. Conservationists are working hard to stop the activities which prevent the formation of new dunes whilst, at the same time, restoring old dunes and slacks. After the scrub has been cut down and burned, re-growth is prevented by painting the stumps with herbicide. Old dune slacks are scraped to remove dead vegetation and create a bare sandy surface, and the dunes grazed to maintain the habitat in a good state. The winter grazing schemes of the Sefton Coast use Herdwick sheep to create areas of short turf and bare ground, particularly suitable for the Natterjack Toad, now that rabbit populations are much smaller than formerly. The newer frontal dunes which support Sand Lizard populations with their need for denser ground cover, however, are NOT grazed.

Ponds and Scrapes - The Amphibian's Haven

Ponds do not last forever, eventually they become dry land after being over grown by plants in the process of plant succession. New ponds can be dug to replace ones have been lost or old ones can be restored by removing the vegetation which has overwhelmed them. When conservationists make or restore ponds the size and depth of the pond is determined by the target species’ ecological requirements. New natterjack ponds are often called "scrapes" because only the ground surface needs to be removed to create an ephemeral pool. More material is removed to create the deeper water bodies favoured by species such as the great crested newt and common toad. Many individuals using hand tools, or fewer using power tools and machinery, can soon achieve the conservation objectives.

Other habitats

While much of the conservation effort for amphibians and reptiles is directed towards large rural sites, others such as gardens, school grounds, allotments, parks and road and railway embankments can also provide valuable habitats. This means there is scope for many people to help conserve these animals. Even in your own garden the provision of ponds, quiet natural areas, planting hedgerows etc are all activities that will generally improve habitats for amphibians and reptiles and much more of our native wildlife.

Habitat Management Guidance

  Follow this link for an introduction to what we can do to offer guidance with Land Management - or you can also follow these links for guidance in amphibian  and reptile habitat management. A leaflet outlining what can be done to promote amphibian and reptile conservation in gardens or other small areas, such as allotments or school grounds, is available in our downloads section here.