If you pursue a career in natural sciences, you learn quickly that the world can be your oyster - there are countless possibilities for species or ecosystems to protect, be it through public outreach, law-making, or practical land management. But as I began making real decisions about my career, I found myself returning again and again to the same three principles: conservation, UK wildlife, and herpetology. I’ve had a steadily-increasing obsession with herpetology over my life, having kept my darling Marceline, a blue-tongued skink (Tiliqua gigas evanescens), since the age of 12. For the most part, my interests were broad. I knew that I loved our nature in the UK, those pockets of wildness tucked between cities. True access to nature, being the novelty that it was in my home county bordering London, was worth every second I spent learning about it. This led me to study Animal Management in college, and an ongoing degree in Zoology with Conservation at Bangor University.

 

In the second year of university, students are encouraged to begin thinking about dissertation projects. At the same time, the opportunity of placement years becomes available. A placement year could be a good opportunity for any student looking to get more practical experience in their field before graduation, which I felt was imperative if I wanted a well-rounded skillset in ecology and conservation. But this meant I had a year of practical experience between second year and my final year dissertation. The obvious decision, albeit a well-meaning shot in the dark, was to combine the two.

 While researching our native lizard populations and potential project ideas, I’d become aware of a paper written by Simon Mole (2010). It described a shared habitat between four lacertid (“true lizard”) populations, concentrated in Boscombe, in Bournemouth, Dorset. At present, there are two native and two introduced species of lacertid in the UK – these are common lizards (Zootoca vivipara), sand lizards (Lacerta agilis), wall lizards (Podarcis muralis), and Western green lizards (L. bilineata), respectively. The only known existing population of Western green lizards are found on the site described by Mole, thus making Bournemouth a particular area of interest to herpetological studies in the UK. This is when I became aware of ARC’s office in Bournemouth, and set my sights on aligning a project idea to their work in the area.

 

As I’d come to learn, Dorset County is a hot spot for UK herpetofauna, which I’d had little success in tracking down in the years I’d studied them. Reptile enthusiasts who frequent Boscombe Cliffs will tell you the area is rife with the invasive wall lizard, while our native species have been observed less often; especially since Mole’s 2010 study. This leaves a gap in our understanding of how these introduced lizards might spread in the UK. It appeared that more research was needed, especially to support conservation work for our native species. This is particularly true of the sand lizard, which has seen regional decline across the UK. 

 

I decided to reach out to a lecturer in herpetology at Bangor, James Hicks. We discussed the intersection between a placement and dissertation research, and he proposed a study into measuring competition between native and non-native lizards. The working title of the dissertation project is “Assessing Niche Overlap and Microhabitat Usage Among Native and Introduced Lacertids in the UK”. By measuring how each lizard uses its habitat at a fine scale, we can see where their needs overlap. This helps us understand their habitat preferences and how they might be competing, which could help inform conservation practises down the line.

 

 

When I got in touch with ARC, they kindly agreed to take me on as an intern for a year so I could collect my data next year. Now in my third month with ARC, I have had the privilege to work with staff members across ARC’s teams, observing the interconnected cobweb of roles and people that benefit conservation and the wider public daily. Recently, I assisted in a workshop in Merseyside, where I met some inspiring members of the green sector. We discussed how organisations can reduce the barriers people face to engaging with nature, and how we can best support each other to see these efforts come to fruition. A good part of my role is data processing in the office, organising and banking survey observations or sloughs we are sent. With the field team and fantastic volunteers, I get to lend a hand at practical land management, clearing pioneer species or digging sand banks for sand lizards. From social media to species projects, I have had the warmest welcome from every team I have had the luck to help in. When my data collection for my dissertation begins in Spring, I’ve no doubt I’ve got a hugely diverse and knowledgeable group of people to support and encourage me.

 

Over the years preparing for a career in conservation, I have been taught to expect and have seen the practicalities and frustrations that are to be expected in such a many-sided field. Yet, without these important discussions, I would not have had the absolute honour to have met so many like-minded professionals; those who are true stewards to wildlife. It is my prerogative with this unique opportunity to write a dissertation that not only support my own career development, but to further our understanding of these species and inform their conservation. I hope the work we produce can benefit ARC and wider ARGs/eNGOs, and the lizards we all love dearly. 

 

If you wish to contact me regarding my dissertation project, or specifically know of sites in Dorset wherein P. muralis and Z. vivipara are/were co-occurring, feel free to contact me at [email protected], or enquire at [email protected].