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 protected species are threatened by development. However, the conservation value 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 resulted in no significant depletion of the population. At the receptor site, which had no previous slow-worm population, recaptures of translocated slow-worms declined during 2 years of subsequent monitoring; recaptured lizards were in poorer condition than those in a nearby natural population; and there was little evidence of successful reproduction. As the exercise may have prevented the inadvertent killing of a number of slow-worms, it may have been successful in terms of meeting the statutory obligations for this species. As an exercise in conserving the population in the longterm, however, the value of the translocation was questionable.