Amphibians and Reptiles are disappearing

The European Adder (from Wikipedia)

The Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC) Trust have released a worrying report naming the species that are becoming rarer in the UK. The population of adders which are native to this country is declining rapidly and the populations of slow worms, common lizards, grass snakes,common toads, common frogs and great crested newts are also becoming more rare. Some of the endangered species already have high levels of protection but this does not apply to some of the species that are considered more common. The plight of the adder is one which must be looked at. While this species was once very common in the UK, it is now one of the rarest widespread reptiles and is in need of serious conservation attention.

The only good news given by the report is of the palmate newt which is actually increasing its range and becoming more common.This is thought to indicate changes in the quality of Britain's ponds as palmate newts prefer acidic pools which are now common from acid rain fall and agricultural run off which are major problems associated with pollution. However the main problem which is thought to be effecting the populations of amphibians and reptiles is habitat fragmentation.