Erfurt saves sand lizards: move planned for new school campus!

Erfurt saves sand lizards: move planned for new school campus!

The sand lizard, a charming little representative of the local fauna, is currently at the center of environmental protection measures in Cologne. The city has taken on the challenges of species conservation to secure the population of these fascinating reptiles. According to the guidelines of the Federal Nature Conservation Act, sand lizards may not be killed or disturbed, and their habitat must remain protected. Therefore, a relocation to suitable replacement habitats is urgently required in order to be able to implement the planned construction of a school campus without endangering the sand lizard, reports Erfurt.de.

The process for relocating the lizards is not only well thought out, but also tailored to the animals' needs. In the spring, special reptile protection fences were built to carefully guide the sand lizards out of the construction area towards the railway embankment. The lizards find ideal conditions there with numerous sun spots and insect-friendly vegetation. The number of animals captured and relocated as part of this conservation effort is carefully monitored by biologists. The ongoing measures aim to create a structurally diverse habitat that guarantees the lizards a long-term existence gfn-umwelt.de describes.

The sand lizard and its habitat

The sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) is an extremely adaptable species that is originally native to forest steppes and river floodplains. Nowadays, their habitats can be found in a wide variety of human-shaped areas such as dune and heath culture or near-natural forest edges. It prefers bright, sunny areas and needs both sunny places and shady retreats to regulate its body temperature. The sand lizard's diet consists of insects, their larvae and other small arthropods. The lizards spend the winter in protected quarters and usually emerge again at the beginning of spring, according to the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation.

In order to successfully relocate the sand lizards, the capture method involves a mix of mowing and targeted capture operations. The biologists concentrate on catching the animals in a stress-free environment. For this purpose, gentle methods such as the use of sponges were used in order to avoid injuries and unnecessary stress. Another important detail: the capture is timed. The lizards may only be caught in the spring after their hibernation and in late summer. This year the fishing time was only scheduled for four days, which was a considerable challenge given the estimated total population of around 75 sand lizards.

Outlook and challenges

Long-term expectations for the translocation are optimistic, with hopes of establishing a reproductive population in the new habitat. However, success and establishment also depend on external factors such as nearby construction work and vibrations that could unsettle the lizards. Future surveys will show whether the measures are fruitful and whether the sand lizards find a new home in the Sulz settlement. And so we can only hope that Cologne citizens and environmentalists will work together to ensure that these creatures worthy of protection continue to have a home in our city. Because they not only enrich nature, but also our lives.