Dragons on the Move

Following the fantastic news that Froglife’s London Dragon Finder Project has successfully received funding from HLF, we are delighted to announce plans to develop a Scottish version of the exciting project.

Reptiles like the Common lizard are amongst the animals set to benefit from the new Scottish project

“Since starting Froglife’s first Scottish project in 2009, people from all over Scotland have been asking Froglife if projects will be rolled out into their local area so we knew there was a demand for raising awareness of amphibians, reptiles and their habitats,” explains Eilidh Spence from Froglife. “Recording of these species is poor in some rural areas in Scotland so this is also something we are keen to improve - more information leads to improved conservation.”

“Froglife will be tailoring the Dragon Finder project to reach out to the diverse areas of Scotland and planning future learning and conservation activities,” adds Kathy Wormald, Froglife’s CEO. “We will be looking for new partnerships and areas to work in throughout mainland Scotland. It’s a really exciting opportunity for us and for future conservation of amphibians and reptiles.”

The development phase will last until March 2013 when an application will be submitted to HLF for a main grant. If successful, Froglife aims to start delivery of this four and a half year project towards the end of 2013. Some of the exciting new activities that will be developed include:

• Urban Tails exhibitions created by local primary schools and community groups demonstrating what amphibians and reptiles you could find in your local area
• Dragons on the Move road shows travelling around mainland Scotland to deliver fun sessions on how to identify and record different ‘dragons’
• Dragons in the Hills events with outdoor pursuit enthusiasts to improve recording in more remote areas of the country
• Habitat creation and restoration work
• Creation of a Living Atlas, mapping sightings and stories about amphibians and reptiles.

For more information on the Dragon Finder Project in London click here

If your organisation or group would be interested in being involved with future Scottish Dragon Finder activities please contact Froglife’s CEO Kathy Wormald Kathy.wormald@froglife.org.