The reptile fauna of the British Isles comprises six native species, and two additional species in the Channel Islands. Only one is present in Ireland. Two of them – the Sand Lizard and Smooth Snake – are rare and restricted by climate to areas where specific habitats exists. A third, the Grass Snake, is absent north of the Scottish border by climate. It is fair to say that all species have suffered major declines in the last century, primarily due to habitat loss and degradation, but conservation efforts have probably halted their decline on balance, and may even be reversing their fortunes. Realistically, their future is in the hands of habitat managers and conservation policies that may not always be sympathetic. The winter burning programme in the New Forest destroys many hectares of Smooth Snake habitat each year, albeit it temporarily. The constant battle with coniferous pine re-growth on heathlands is probably the biggest threat to sand lizards.

Agricultural intensification has made rural Britain's farmland largely uninhabitable to most reptiles. Ironically, one of the most widespread reptiles in Britain – the Adder – is the species causing the most concern. Widely reported as declining rapidly at the local population level, it has become extinct recently from whole counties. Although the rare species are subject to several decades of monitoring, a key problem for widespread species such as the Adder has been the lack of large-scale monitoring programmes. […]