Amphibian and Reptile
Groups of the UK
ARG UK promotes the conservation of our native amphibians and reptiles and their environment by promoting and supporting the development of a network of independent Amphibian and Reptile Groups (ARGs).
You can help our native amphibians and reptiles by getting involved with one of the 60+ independent volunteer ARGs in the UK.
Affiliated groups benefit from our insurance scheme, local groups websites, advice notes and fundraising support.
We provide online recording through the Record Pool to help capture herpetofauna data from across the UK.
We produce fun downloads for kids and their parents and teachers, and other useful resources.
Basking spots
- Details
- News
Kids' stickers and fun fact sheets
ARGUK is delighted to partner with the artist Mabel Harris to create a vibrant new range of stickers, fun fact and colouring sheets for our budding young herpetologists. These are perfect for events and other herp-themed activities. We are delighted to be able to offer a range of…
- Details
- Projects & surveys
Make the Adder Count in 2019
Welcome to Make the Adder Count 2019. Started in 2005, this long-running survey aims to encourage springtime counts of adders, with the objectives of informing local conservation projects/interests and gathering a long-term surveillance dataset. Thank you to all the volunteers who have returned their data from…
- Details
- Projects & surveys
Toads on Roads - Toad Patrolling for ARGs
Toadsare normally solitary creatures, but during the spring period, from early February through to early April (depending on weather variables), they will join with hundreds of other toads to migrate to their ancestral breeding ponds, crossing anything in their path. Sometimes this involves crossing busy…
- Details
- Projects & surveys
Adders are Amazing!
This exciting new project, led by our Pembrokeshire Adder Coordinator, Sam Langdon, is delivering the ‘community engagement’ aspect of a wider programme to prevent this iconic, but vulnerable native snake from slipping into extinction in large parts of England and Wales. The project will take…
- Details
- News
Bsal - a deadly new newt disease on our doorstep!
Chytridiomycosis (Chytrid) has been responsible for mass mortalities of amphibians with declines and extinctions on six continents, including Europe. Until recently, most pathogenic outbreaks of Chytrid were associated with the fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). However, since 2013 a newly described species B. salamandrivorans ( =…Read more: Bsal - a deadly new newt disease on our doorstep!
- Details
- News
Latest Updates on GCN licensing reforms
UPDATE 24 November 2017 We've uploaded the latest summary of the status of the GCN DLL roll out from NE. For more information on their GCN DLL package you can download their factsheet here. The background is set out in their letter to the LPAs. NE have…
- Details
- Projects & surveys
The Adder Campaign
NEWS: Advice from Amphibian and Reptile Conservation on adder bites Responding to recent reports of adder bites, mainly in coastal Wales and Scotland, our colleagues at Amphibian and Reptile Conservation have drawn together answers to some of the frequently asked questions about this sensitive issue.…
- Details
- News
Chris Packham's - A People's Manifesto for Wildlife
On Saturday 22 September we joined with our wider wildlife community in Hyde Park to hear more about Chris Packham’s new ‘A People’s Manifesto for Wildlife’, and march to Downing Street to deliver it to the seat of Government. Chris has mobilised the biggest peaceful…Read more: Chris Packham's - A People's Manifesto for Wildlife
- Details
- News
Amphibians and Reptiles in Leicestershire and Rutland: A Review (2018)
by Andrew Heaton, County Recorder for Amphibians and Reptiles, LARN The LARN (Leicestershire & Rutland, Amphibian and Reptile Network) network have been working in partnership with those with an interest and enthusiasm for the amphibians and reptiles of the two counties to produce a review…Read more: Amphibians and Reptiles in Leicestershire and Rutland: A Review (2018)
- Details
- News
Revised Advice note 4 - Amphibian Disease Precautions, A Guide for UK Fieldworkers
We are delighted to be able to launch the newly revised version of "Advice note 4 - Amphibian Disease Precautions, A Guide for UK Fieldworkers", which is published in March 2017. This important resource for amphibian fieldworkers and trainers has been comprehensively revised in partnership…Read more: Revised Advice note 4 - Amphibian Disease Precautions, A Guide for UK Fieldworkers
- Details
- News
Snake fungal disease identified in wild British snakes for first time
Europe’s wild snakes could face a growing threat from a fungal skin disease that has contributed to wild snake deaths in North America, according to an international collaborative study, led by conservation charity ZSL (Zoological Society of London) alongside partners including the U.S. Geological…Read more: Snake fungal disease identified in wild British snakes for first time