DAILY ECHO (Dorset, UK) 07 February 08 Rescue for reptiles in quarry land (James Morton)
Britain's rarest reptiles are being carefully rescued from an area of Purbeck heathland as it is given up to quarrying.
The 300-acre patch of heath at East Holme provides a perfect natural habitat for species such as sand lizards and smooth snakes, a habitat becoming increasingly rare in Britain.
World-renowned herpetologist David Bird has been brought in to oversee the rescues and is meticulously walking the site in front of 53-tonne dump trucks removing any reptiles in their path.
Mr Bird said: "Quarrying is important because the sand lizard needs open sand to lay eggs safely.
"Sixty per cent vegetation and 40 per cent sand is perfect, but is only there for 15 years after the land has been worked."
Since the Second World War, 85 per cent of the habitat for such reptiles has been lost.
Landowner Will Bond, whose company Alaska specialises in restoring natural habitats around the world, said the quarrying would also help by reconnecting "islands" that have formed on the land over the years.
“This is not a plan – it’s a philosophy that we share with the quarrying companies and ecologists."
Landowner Will Bond
He said: "It is crucial to our quarrying work that we reconnect the fragmented areas.
"We are looking at least 12 years ahead every time a shovel hits the sand."
The excavation, being carried out by Holme Sand and Ballast, is taking place to provide for the needs of the local construction industry.
Around 100 acres of the 300-acre site at East Holme will be excavated over the next 20 years.
Trevor Poole, joint managing director of New Milton Sand and Ballast, the parent company of Holme, said the demands of the industry were such that 90 per cent of their output went straight to it.
He said: "Every house built today needs 60 tonnes of aggregate for bricks, roofing, mortar, concrete, plaster and glass.
"As local industries go, quarrying carries quite a burden of responsibility and not just for the environment."
Rescue for reptiles in quarry