Breeding reptiles to rewild Britain

Today, nature enthusiasts, conservationists, rewilders or really anybody who has an interest in the wild world knows there are massive voids in our ecosystems. Some of these holes in the ecological fabric are the absence of large mammals and apex predators such as bears, aurochs, lynx and wolves, or large birds such as dalmatian pelicans and white storks. And while conservation efforts and media attention has been focused on these species, reptiles and amphibians have been forgotten. Working with these animals requires large areas of land and experience, something that not everybody has to offer. However, there is also another piece of the vast, interconnected environmental puzzle that has been overlooked - reptiles and amphibians, or herptiles as they are known collectively.

Celtic Reptile & Amphibian's aim is to not only restore Britain's lost amphibians back to their former ponds, or snakes back into their grasslands, but to restore the fascination of the natural world back into our minds. Although great work has already been carried out with species such as the sand lizard restoration and the pool frog, they would like to further that work, and accelerate it, in accordance with the ever increasing threat of species extinction.

In this talk, the founders of Celtic Reptile & Amphibian, will talk about how they set up the business, as well as looking at what the future may look like for Britain’s reptiles and amphibians, both in captivity, and the wild.

About Celtic Reptile & Amphibian:

Celtic Reptile & Amphibian is a company, setup by young environmentalists, Harvey Tweats and Tom Whitehurst, dedicated to Northern European species of Reptiles and amphibians, with an active role in rewilding and reintroduction. Our vision is to see a wilder world, where tomorrow is better than today.

Lunchtime talks

This is part of a series of 60 minute webinars and discussions for Friends of the Earth staff, local group members and Climate Action Group activists. These talks are designed to stimulate thinking and increase awareness of different approaches to campaigning and the issues other campaigns are tackling.

They might not always be directly related to our core campaigns at Friends of the Earth. They might not even be at lunchtime! But they will give us food for thought more broadly about challenges and opportunities facing the environmental movement.

During this webinar we will use:

• Powerpoint

Please let us know via the booking form if you have any accessibility requirements and if booking the session is difficult for you get in touch with us on community@foe.co.uk for help.