Carmarthenshire signs boost for toads!
New road signs are being spawned in Burry Port and Ammanford.
Carmarthenshire County Council is putting up toad crossing warning signs at Burry Port and Pantyffynnon.
These have been mainly funded by the council with a grant contribution from the Countryside Council for Wales to provide biodiversity projects.
The sites have been registered with Froglife as part of their Toads on the Roads scheme where significant migration sites are recorded and with the signs erected to warn motorists during the toad migration season.
Currently both sites have volunteers who collect the toads in buckets to help them across the busy roads which bisect toad migration routes to breeding ponds.
The toad crossings will feature on Google Earth in a bid to cut the numbers of amphibians being croaked by motorists.
Toad numbers have declined in many parts of UK and road kill is thought to be the principal cause coupled with the loss of ponds.
Froglife, which helps the conservation of amphibians and reptiles, has mapped more than 700 crossings using satellite technology.
It is hoped the satellite map will help conservationists and volunteers find out more about where amphibians are killed on roads on their migration to breeding ponds in spring.
County executive board member for transport services Cllr Philip Hughes said: “It just goes to show how far we go in the county to protect our biodiversity. We already have an otter crossing built into new industrial development site at Burry Port and now will we have toad crossing warning signs too.”
The common toad, which was listed as a threatened species in 2007, suffers dangers of high kerbs which steer them towards drains where they are trapped and die.
In 2010 a total of 36 new toad crossing sites were registered, and 35,183 amphibians were carried across UK roads by volunteer "toad patrollers" in 2008. The two Carmarthenshire crossing will be among 43 toad crossings introduced nationwide in 2011.
Carmarthenshire County Council is putting up toad crossing warning signs at Burry Port and Pantyffynnon.
These have been mainly funded by the council with a grant contribution from the Countryside Council for Wales to provide biodiversity projects.
The sites have been registered with Froglife as part of their Toads on the Roads scheme where significant migration sites are recorded and with the signs erected to warn motorists during the toad migration season.
Currently both sites have volunteers who collect the toads in buckets to help them across the busy roads which bisect toad migration routes to breeding ponds.
The toad crossings will feature on Google Earth in a bid to cut the numbers of amphibians being croaked by motorists.
Toad numbers have declined in many parts of UK and road kill is thought to be the principal cause coupled with the loss of ponds.
Froglife, which helps the conservation of amphibians and reptiles, has mapped more than 700 crossings using satellite technology.
It is hoped the satellite map will help conservationists and volunteers find out more about where amphibians are killed on roads on their migration to breeding ponds in spring.
County executive board member for transport services Cllr Philip Hughes said: “It just goes to show how far we go in the county to protect our biodiversity. We already have an otter crossing built into new industrial development site at Burry Port and now will we have toad crossing warning signs too.”
The common toad, which was listed as a threatened species in 2007, suffers dangers of high kerbs which steer them towards drains where they are trapped and die.
In 2010 a total of 36 new toad crossing sites were registered, and 35,183 amphibians were carried across UK roads by volunteer "toad patrollers" in 2008. The two Carmarthenshire crossing will be among 43 toad crossings introduced nationwide in 2011.
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