A rare reptile living amongst Denbighshire’s coastline has been given a helping hand this month.
Denbighshire Countryside Services joined together with Amphibian and Reptile Conservation to provide vital habitat support for sand lizards at Barkby Dunes on Monday May 12.
Sand lizards are a protected species and a priority for conservation across the UK. Threats they face are the loss and degradation of habitats due to developments along the coastlines.
Work took place on the day to create sand patches for the resident lizards on the dunes to boost their habitat support.
These patches will help provide the animals with areas for basking, hunting, digging burrows and laying eggs. The created sites will help recreate the natural mosaic of vegetation and sand that the reptiles prefer.
Volunteers also helped with the sand patches development on the day to learn more about the animal and help safeguard its future on Barkby Dunes.
North Denbighshire Countryside Coastal Ranger Claudia Smith said:
“This was an important day to really help a rare wildlife member living on our county coastline. It was also quite a unique opportunity for nature enthusiasts who wanted to volunteer help for managing the sand lizard’s habitat on the dunes.”
Cllr Barry Mellor, Lead Member for Environment and Transport and Biodiversity Champion, said:
“Protecting under threat wildlife across Denbighshire is extremely important to us and I am grateful to those who helped make a difference to nature in our county through this unique opportunity to help the sand lizard population along Barkby Dunes.”
Feature image: Male sand lizard – Source.
