Scotland's rarest toads get new homes at waste treatment plant

A new habitat has been built to protect Scotland’s rarest amphibians and give them spaces to shelter in the winter.

Natterjack toads have a new home at a Scottish Water wastewater treatment works at Powfoot.

The species can only be found along the Solway coast in Scotland, and their numbers have declined dramatically in recent years, largely due to habitat loss caused by sea level rise, coastal erosion, agricultural intensification, urban expansion and commercial forestry.

The project, which is a joint effort between Scottish Water, NatureScot, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC), and Hoddom and Kinmount Estates, has been made by digging pits into the earth and filling them with large rocks and sand that is packed into the spaces between.

The natterjack toad is the only amphibian in the UK with the ability to burrow, and the structure creates a network of cavities and crevices with varying microclimates into which the natterjacks can burrow, shelter and regulate their body temperature during winter.

Two hibernacula at Powfoot Amphibian and Reptile Conservation

The design takes inspiration from features of the traditional farmed landscape – such as dry-stone walls and dust baths – which natterjacks once relied on but which have largely disappeared due to the intensification of modern agriculture.

Liam Templeton from ARC said: “We’re incredibly fortunate to have the iconic natterjack toad on the Scottish Solway Coast. The species was once abundant here, particularly at locations like Powfoot; local residents speak fondly about times when natterjacks could be heard chorusing on warm spring and summer evenings.

“It is our ambition for the species to return to its former glory so that such experiences can be enjoyed by future generations to come.

“By constructing these hibernacula, we are providing a key habitat requirement for the species and ensuring that they have every opportunity to thrive as they have done before.”

Terri Ward, Scottish Water’s biodiversity and natural capital leader added that the habitat improvements are part of a “wider focus” which focuses on “treating nature as a vital asset in responding to challenges such as climate change.”