Following the successful completion of our previous project in Scotland, Saving Scotland's Snakes, ARC has started a new project to protect a broader range of species in Scotland, with particular emphasis on adders, great crested newts and common toads.

In 2021 ARC completed the first regional assessment of extinction risk using the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) Red List method, a globally recognised approach. The results classified adders as Near Threatened across Great Britain overall. SSAAR will continue to raise awareness of adder welfare and conservation in Scotland. We will also investigate the effects of long-term deliberate killings of adders, as well as habitat fragmentation, on the population levels and genetic health of Scotlands adder populations through citizen science surveys.

Great crested newts are already rare in Scotland, and ponds may be being lost and newts killed by development through lack of awareness of their presence. We will use the latest DNA detection techniques to increase our knowledge and community awareness of this species and where it lives.

Common toads face many threats that are leading to their declining populations, and the ironic situation of them no longer being so common. One of their most fatal threats is roadside gulleypots which trap migrating toads leading to their death. We will work to raise awareness of this issue and seek to mitigate it through work on escape ladders, and liaison with local authorities and groups, as well as seeking solutions to reducing road mortality and improving habitats.

ARC aims to engage 500 people by the end of the project, including online event attendance and training. Through SSAR we plan to work with partner groups and volunteer groups in Scotland to establish regular volunteering opportunities that will achieve the following aims:

- improve and connect habitats

- increase engagement and understanding of amphibians, reptiles and other biodiversity

- generate valuable data informing the conservation of key species

- maximise our expertise and experience in eDNA (environmental DNA) technology

- deliver educational opportunities to protect these much-maligned creatures

- increase wellbeing and a sense of ownership of local sites and species

ARC has already raised sufficient funds to make a start by employing a Project Officer and an Education Officer. However, these posts were recruited on single year contracts, as we await sufficient funds to come through to run until our planned end date of March 2024.

Thank you for your support!