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slow worms wanted for conservation project

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paul wimbush View Drop Down
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Joined: 27 Jun 2013
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    Posted: 27 Jun 2013 at 9:23am
I am part of a permaculture ecovillage project (www.lammas.org.uk) and we bought 60 acres of degraded pasture in Pembrokeshire in 2009 and have set about creating a mosaic of different habitats across the site. The ecology here would really benefit from slow worms - (I used to have them in my garden on the Gower and am familiar with their habits) - however because our land is surrounded by depleted pasture the prospects of them arriving on their own accord are very slim. Can anyone help or offer any advice?
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will View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote will Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Jun 2013 at 2:40pm
Hi - in theory this sounds a great idea, and Pembrokeshire is a great place for slowworms in my experience.  First, are you absolutely sure there are no slowworms on site?  they are cryptic as you know and in 60 acres of Pembrokeshire countryside I would be quite surprised if at least one population wasn't present on site, so I would suggest a thorough survey using refugia (metal sheets, roofing felt etc) before you introduce animals from elsewhere.  One other question is whether the habitat is yet absolutely suitable for them - ie is there some rough grass, scrub etc present and what will management consist of in the future?  If all is suitable in these respects, then I would guess that ecological consultants carrying out developments in the locality may well be in need of a receptor site - contact with the local planning authority could help here, or the local wildlife trust.  As you will see from other postings on rauk, it is not good practice to displace animals from one part of the country to another, for reasons of maintaining local biodiversity, genetic integrity of populations and also risk of disease transfer and risk associated with animals unused to the local conditions not becoming acclimatized and hence going extinct.  Perhaps local allotments could also spare some animals, especially if unused plots are to be rotivated and brought back under cultivation?  It would be great to know how your site develops, BTW.
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