Government launches innovative effort to protect critically endangered species: 'Helps to restore'

The Daily Echo reported good news for three endangered reptile species in the United Kingdom — they have a new home thanks to the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust (ARC).

The ARC helped create a space for them by clearing overgrown gorse to create open heathlands that provide better conditions for adders, smooth snakes, and sand lizards. The U.K. government provided 1.3 million pounds in funding, while the New Forest National Park Authority leads this part of the Species Survival Fund project.

Clearing out this overgrown vegetation doesn't just help these reptiles but also balances the ecosystem in general. After all, too much gorse is a fire risk. Unfortunately, wildfires have become more common thanks to extensive and frequent droughts. As a result, people and animals have lost their homes and lives. However, keeping some vegetation under control can create a safer space for all.

Fire isn't the only way that gorse has proved to be destructive — it's also invasive, so it can choke off native vegetation and strip soil of nutrients. Biodiversity is essential to housing and protecting a variety of pollinators. Some pollinating species need specific vegetation — i.e., the monarch butterfly only feeds on milkweed. Therefore, when invasives take over, they not only kill plants but also risk killing the critters that keep the food chain in motion.

There are other initiatives to help endangered species thrive again. One groundbreaking effort included cloning the endangered black-footed ferret by using genetic material from one that died in 1988. The United Kingdom recently expanded the Ivory Act of 2018 meant to protect elephants to also include sperm whales, walruses, narwhals, orcas, and hippopotamuses. Some communities in India are now using an invisible solar-powered fencing network to alert about approaching animals to keep both humans and animals at a safe distance.

Per the Daily Echo, ARC project officer Eryn McDonald said, "This type of work helps to restore lowland heathlands to a favourable condition, supporting the species that rely on these surroundings."