The Species on the Edge partnership has created new winter shelters for Scotland’s rarest amphibian, the natterjack toad, in a significant effort to support one of the country’s most threatened species.

A series of specially designed hibernacula have been constructed at Powfoot on the Solway Coast, providing essential winter habitat for natterjack toads (Epidalea calamita), whose Scottish population is now restricted to just a handful of coastal sites.

Natterjack toads have experienced a dramatic decline across their Scottish range in recent decades. Habitat loss and degradation, driven by coastal erosion, sea-level rise, agricultural intensification, forestry, and development, have reduced both breeding and overwintering opportunities for the species.

A Natterjack Toad - The new shelters are designed to provide natterjacks safe spaces to shelter in winter  <Photo: ARC>.

While shallow seasonal pools are vital for breeding, suitable winter refuges are equally important. Natterjack toads spend much of the colder months underground, sheltering from freezing temperatures and harsh weather conditions. Unlike other native amphibians, natterjacks are capable of burrowing into sandy soils, making access to suitable overwintering habitat essential for their survival.

The newly created hibernacula are designed to replicate the complex underground conditions that natterjacks require. Large rocks have been placed within excavated pits and packed with sand, creating a network of cavities and crevices with varying temperatures and moisture levels. These microhabitats allow toads to regulate their body temperature and find secure shelter throughout winter. The design draws inspiration from traditional features of the Solway landscape, such as dry-stone walls and sandy farmyard margins, which historically provided natural refuge sites but have largely disappeared from modern agricultural environments.

Two hibernacula at Powfoot, Scotland <Photo: Liam Templeton, ARC>

The species was formerly a familiar sound of summer evenings along parts of the Solway, with the distinctive rasping calls of breeding males carrying across coastal wetlands. Conservation organisations hope that targeted habitat restoration, combined with monitoring and community engagement, can help reverse decades of decline. The work also highlights the importance of collaborative conservation. Through Species on the Edge, organisations, landowners, contractors, and local communities are working together to tackle the complex environmental pressures affecting Scotland’s coastal wildlife.

As climate change continues to intensify pressures on vulnerable coastal ecosystems, practical interventions such as these new hibernacula may prove increasingly important. By improving the availability of safe winter refuges, conservationists are helping ensure that Scotland’s rarest amphibian has a better chance of surviving, breeding, and recovering across the Solway Coast.

The hibernacula project has been funded through Species on the Edge, a programme supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and delivered by a partnership of conservation organisations dedicated to safeguarding Scotland’s most threatened coastal species.