Translocation of slow-worms (Anguis fragilis) as a mitigation strategy: a case study from south-east England

Translocation is often used as mitigation in cases where sites containing p rotected species are threatened by development. However, the conservation v alue of such exercises is unproven for many species. This paper describes a case study in which translocation was used as a mitigation measure for the slow-worm (Anguis fragilis) a cryptic legless lizard. At a site scheduled for development, the removal of 103 lizards over a three-month period resul ted in no significant depletion of the population. At the receptor site, wh ich had no previous slow-worm population, recaptures of translocated slow-w orms declined during 2 years of subsequent monitoring; recaptured lizards w ere in poorer condition than those in a nearby natural population; and ther e was little evidence of successful reproduction. As the exercise may have prevented the inadvertent killing of a number of slow-worms, it may have be en successful in terms of meeting the statutory obligations for this specie s. As an exercise in conserving the population in the longterm, however, th e value of the translocation was questionable. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Lt d. All rights reserved.