Newts in the wild
Have you ever seen a newt when out and about? I’ll always remember the first time I came across a Great Crested Newt; I was pretty young and hadn’t seen one before and assumed it was some sort of lizard (of course I later learned they are amphibians not reptilian).
Given the scarcity of this creature throughout Europe, it is classified as a ’strictly protected’ species - this is despite it being relatively abundant in it’s native land, the UK.
In fact, because of the fact it’s on the conserved wildlife list, efforts must be taken not to disturb their habitat or endanger them. If development is occurring in close proximity to a community of Great Crested Newts, then a licence is required by the development company. They may also have to find appropriate protection for the wildlife such as newt fencing. Sometimes newt trapping is used in conjunction with newt fencing to safely transport a local newt population to a new location before development commences.
