Charity’s wildlife road tunnels plea

ENVIRONMENT: A charity is calling for more wildlife tunnels to be built under roads to protect the declining amphibian populations.

Froglife, which is working to protect amphibians and reptiles which form a crucial part of eco-systems, has launched the Give Wildlife the Green Light petition.

A CONSERVATION charity is calling for more wildlife tunnels to be built under roads to protect the declining amphibian populations.

Froglife, which works to protect amphibians and reptiles which are a crucial part of ecosystems, has set up the Give Wildlife the Green Light petition. The charity’s aim is to gather around 50,000 signatures to help strengthen its case as it urges local authorities, developers and the Government to put more wildlife tunnels in place.

The tunnels provide a vital link, joining important habitats such as breeding grounds together and could help halt the drop in population numbers for species such as the common toad.

Froglife development manager Sheila Gundry said: “Toads will return to their ancestral breeding grounds, following the same route regardless of what gets in their way.

“Over the years roads have been built or become busier and we can lose thousands of toads in one night during breeding season.

“The species has declined by 68 per cent over the past 30 years and if this continues we could lose all our common toads by 2030.”

As well as causing high mortality rates, roads also act as movement barriers for amphibians and other animals, restricting their ability to breed and isolating them in increasingly smaller habitats.

Froglife, which held its first northern Toad Summit in Halifax in January this year, has been carrying out research into ways in which amphibians and reptiles can be helped and has found wildlife tunnels are a safe and cost effective way to negotiate busy roads.

“We have been carrying out research over several years, monitoring tunnels and seeing what works,” Ms Gundry said.

She also highlighted how by working together, amphibians can be given a fighting chance. She referred to a site in Sowerby Bridge where Calderdale Council had stepped in after members of the public discovered a number of toads migrating back to their ancestral pond had been killed on the newly-built road.

The large toad population had not been noted by the developer during the planning stages so was not factored in to the final design. The council said it took the matter “very seriously” and approached the developer to install a wildlife tunnel retrospectively, which it did.

Speaking at the time the charity said it was “an excellent result” and demonstrated how a difference can be made for wildlife when groups work together.

Froglife has also been carrying out long-term monitoring to build a clear picture of how the tunnels can help population numbers. One shopping complex site in the North of England, formerly home to several Great Crested Newt breeding ponds, had four tunnels placed under the main road. These were monitored for five years to see how effective they were in helping the displaced newts reach newly created ponds nearby.

Cameras showed five species of amphibian using the tunnels with indications of a significant increase in population size.

Ms Gundry said Froglife would be contacting every local authority in the country asking them to create more wildlife tunnels and urged people to go to froglife.org and sign the petition.

The species has declined by 68 per cent over the past 30 years

Froglife development manager Sheila Gundry on the impact of development on toads.