Habitat Management for Reptiles
Wednesday 31 March 2010
Location: Hadley Castle Country Park, Essex
Tutors: Jon Cranfield MIEEM, Ray Cranfield and Jim Foster
Level: Intermediate
This workshop aims to demonstrate how to manage semi natural habitats for reptiles while at the same time maintaining other species and habitat conservation interests. The workshop will show techniques which have been used at the Country Park to specifically help the resident reptiles (all four widespread species). Habitat assessment methods and field surveys will be demonstrated in the classroom in the morning and within the field in the afternoon. The workshop is taking place in a hilly area and is quite strenuous and may not be ideal for people of restricted mobility.
IEEM Members: £80 (£70 if booked before 31 January 2010).
Non-members: £160 (£140 if booked before 31 January 2010).
Further details about the workshop
Identifying important habitat features will allow for opportunities to increase reptile numbers and increase the distribution of a reptile population within a local area through increasing connectivity through management of late stage successional habitats (woodland and dense scrub). An important part of the Species Action Plan for reptiles is to increase the range of the species and maintain the local status through sympathetic management practices which can be applied to semi natural sites, farmland, urban and sub urban landscapes.
Who should attend this workshop?
Land managers, site owners, conservation officers, ecological consultants and conservation volunteers who manage sites which have or may have reptile interests.
Anything participants need to know/read before coming on the training event, or need to have with them?
Bring:
- Walking boots.
- Walking sticks.
- Wet weather gear.
- Note pad/pen.
- A packed lunch.
- Widespread reptiles species action plans 2009 -
http://www.arc-trust.org/downloads/Widespread_Reptile_SAP_Aug_09.pdf - Herpetofauna Workers Manual 2003
- Froglife Advice Sheet 10 Reptile Survey 2001
- English Nature Conservation Handbook 1996
- Reptile Guidelines for developers 2004
(Do not worry if you do not have these documents. Copies of non copyright material will be available on the day)
What will participants learn from the workshop (learning outcomes)?
- How to plan a sympathetic management plan for a variety of different habitat types for reptiles – broken down into the needs of the four species.
- Introduce the concept of reptile conservation at the landscape and site specific levels – through identifying metapopulations centred on foci such as overwintering areas and foraging areas.
- How to assess the success of habitat management using field survey methods – monitoring surveys and reptile habitat assessment.
- How to build suitable habitats features such as hibernation, basking and breeding sites (grass snakes).
- Learn about the National Amphibian & Reptile Recording Scheme (NARRS) and specific project such as Make the Adder Count which has been used successfully to monitor management at the country park.