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Success of the North East Wales Sand Lizard Project Continues with Further Re-introduction

At Talacre on the Flintshire coast, 65 sand lizards have been released as part of a long-term conservation project to return this rare reptile to the sand dune system that stretches from Prestatyn to Talacre. Sand lizards became extinct along the North Wales coast in the mid-20th Century, but are being reintroduced to parts of their former range.

The North East Wales Sand Lizard Project is a partnership between Denbighshire and Flintshire County Councils, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation and Natural Resources Wales and dates back to 2003 when the first reintroductions of juvenile lizards were made at Presthaven Sands in Flintshire and the following year at Gronant Dunes in Denbighshire.

The latest release of lizards was on Tuesday 10 September and they were bred in captivity by Chester Zoo and two independent breeders, Ray Lynch and Paul Hudson. All the lizards released were juveniles, born this summer and only a few centimetres long. They will feed on insects for the next few months before going into hibernation for the winter.

Denbighshire and Flintshire County Councils and volunteers monitor the lizard populations annually and management is carried out to ensure the habitat is in good condition for the lizards.

Lizzy Webster, Biodiversity Officer for Denbighshire County Council added, “We are keen to recruit as many volunteers as possible for both species monitoring and habitat management. Sand lizards are strictly protected by law so we need to ensure our volunteers are properly trained before they can undertake any surveys”.

Anyone interested in volunteering on the project should contact Lizzy on 01824 708263 or email elizabeth.webster@denbighshire.gov.uk.

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