MERGER UPDATE: Metamorphosis continues at Froglife and The HCT

Amphibian and Reptile Conservation -the new organisation forming through the merger of Froglife and The Herpetological Conservation Trust- will be a key feature of this year’s RHS Hampton Court Flower show.

The organisations are working on a Dragon Gardens exhibit which will encourage garden-owners to make changes to their gardens to encourage amphibians and reptiles into urban areas.

The Dragon Gardens will be part of a long campaign to encourage people to make gardens more frog- and snake-friendly, partly as a way to counteract the disappearances of these species in the wider countryside throughout the last century.

The event (July 6th – 12th 2009) will be Amphibian and Reptile Conservation’s first as one united conservation NGO. The organisations agreed to begin the merger process in April.

“It became increasingly obvious that the two organisation’s work and skills were complimentary and collectively we could do more for amphibian and reptile conservation as a single body than as two separate entities.” said Tony Gent, HCT’s Chief Executive in a recent interview with Frogpage, Froglife’s in-house magazine.

“This will give amphibians and reptiles a much-needed united voice,” said Kathy Wormald, Froglife’s Chief Executive. “We believe that the new organisation will be a formidable force in the nature conservation sector.”

Though this will be the first public event as Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust, the merger process of the two organisations will continue until March 31st 2010.