The law protects all reptiles and amphibians to some extent.
Viviparous lizard, slow-worm, adder and grass snake are protected against intentional killing, injury and unlicensed trade in the animals (or any part thereof) under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended). It is also illegal to keep adders in captivity without the necessary licence as required by the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976.

Common frog, common toad, smooth and palmate newt (or any part thereof) are all protected against sale, trade, barter or exchange, under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
The great crested newt and its habitat are fully protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended), and the Habitats Regulations 1994. It is illegal to:
• Intentionally or deliberately capture, kill or injure great crested newts.
• Intentionally, deliberately or recklessly* damage, destroy or obstruct access to any place used for shelter or protection, including resting or breeding places (occupied or not).
• Intentionally, deliberately or recklessly* disturb great crested newts when in place of shelter.
• Sell, barter, exchange or transport, or offer for sale great crested newts or parts thereof.
This legislation covers all life stages (eggs, larvae, juveniles and adults).

* Recklessly applies to England and Wales as an amendment to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 as a result of the CROW Act 2000.

A licence is required from Natural England or the appropriate statutory nature conservation agency to carry out surveys for scientific or educational purposes involving disturbance and handling of the great crested newt. to encourage people to learn about, protect and conserve these animals and their habitats. Our activities include recording the distribution and population size of amphibians and reptiles throughout Herefordshire, conservation work such as pond restoration, workshops and training days, talks and visits, providing advice on pond and habitat conservation and identifying threats to local habitats.

Habitat and the law
Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) status confers some degree of protection from potentially dangerous operations. Guidelines suggest that reptile SSSIs should be selected by the following criteria:
• In any 'area of search', usually defined by county or vice-county boundary, the best i
• Sites should not be chosen just to represent populations of one or two species, but the occurrence of any species should count positively in the evaluation of sites chosen largely on other grounds, especially in areas where the species concerned is rare or at the geographical limit of its range.
All exceptional great crested newt sites are eligible for SSSI status. Exceptional sites are considered to be those where a night-time torch count in the breeding season exceeds a hundred individuals. The other amphibian species are considered to be widespread and relatively numerous, so the presence of an outstanding assemblage of these is the guideline for site selection.

Biodiversity Action Plans (BAPs) in the UK
Following the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio, at which one of the key agreements was the Convention on Biological Diversity, the UK published its Biodiversity Action Plan in 1994. It currently contains 391 species action plans and 45 habitat action plans. These plans however are dependent on action at the local level.

While not providing any legal protection, UK and local BAPs aim to promote focussed conservation action for the most endangered species and habitats.
The Herefordshire Biodiversity Partnership published the Herefordshire Local BAP (LBAP) in 2000, with an update in 2005. 76% of the targets set in the LBAP for conservation of key species in Herefordshire have been met in the first five years. Herefordshire Council's Community Strategy recognises the importance of the LBAP for biodiversity and the environment. In the LBAP each species plan has a lead partner e.g. a wildlife organisation or local voluntary group, and HART is the lead for the adder and the great crested newt.
For more information, contact:
The Herefordshire Biodiversity Officer, Herefordshire Biodiversity Partnership, 01432 383026. www.herefordbap.org.uk

Development on amphibian and reptile sites
Reptiles and amphibians may be threatened and the law potentially breached by development activities. To keep within the law developers and their ecological consultants should check the current legislation. Such information is widely available, including from the Planning Department of Herefordshire Council, Natural England, Froglife, the Herpetological Conservation Trust, and HART. The County Amphibian and Reptile Recorders or the HBRC can provide details of reptile and amphibian occurrence.
The laws can and do change so it is advisable to keep up to date with changes. The Quinquennial Review, a statutory 5-year review procedure carried out by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) reviews eligibility of native species in the UK to be added to or removed from schedules 5 and 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act. The first Quinquennial review in 1988 added the grass snake, slow-worm and viviparous lizard from killing and injuring, the adder was added to schedule 5 in 1991.