Will the UK's Toads Survive from Roads and Population Collapse?

It's a Friday evening at half past seven, but rather than heading to the pub or relaxing at home, I've caught a train to a town in Wiltshire to join local helpers from a toad patrol. These committed people give up their nights to protect the local toad population.

A Worrying Decline in Numbers

The Bufo bufo is growing more rare. A latest research led by an wildlife conservation group revealed that the British common toad numbers have dropped by half since 1985. Observing a species that has been a fixture of the UK landscape in decline is labeled "concerning" by experts. Toads "don't require very particular environments" and "should be able to live quite well in most of habitats in the UK," so if even they are not managing to survive, "it kind of suggests that the ecosystem is unbalanced."

Since 1985, Britain's toad numbers have nearly been cut in half

The Threat from Roads

Though the research didn't examine the causes for the decline, cars is a major factor. Calculations indicate that 20 tonnes of toads are killed on British roads annually – that is, hundreds of thousands. In contrast to frogs, which would probably be happy to mate "if you left out a bucket of water," toads prefer large ponds. Their capacity to stay out of water for more time than frogs means they can travel further to reach them – often long distances. They tend to follow their traditional paths – it's typical for mature amphibians to go back to their birth pond to mate.

Migration Habits

Fittingly, the first toads begin their quest for a partner around February 14th, but some move as late as April, waiting until it gets night and travelling through the night. During that period, toads begin migrating from wherever they have been hibernating "almost simultaneously."

A local helper, who grew up in the region and has been working to save its toad population since he was a child, explains that "Their sole purpose: to go and mate." If their path crosses a street, they could be killed by traffic, and that breeding season would be lost – preventing a new generation of toads from being born.

Toad Patrols Across the United Kingdom

Finding hundreds of toad carcasses on nearby streets "resonates deeply with people," and has resulted in the creation of rescue teams throughout the UK – hundreds of organizations are officially listed with a national initiative. These groups pick up toads and transport them over streets in buckets, as well as counting the quantity of toads they find and lobbying for other protection measures, such as blocked roads and amphibian passages.

Volunteers tend to operate during the migration season, when amphibian movements are frequent. However, this implies they can miss groups of young toads, which, having been eggs and then juveniles, leave their water habitats over an unpredictable schedule in late summer. Because of their size – just a couple of cm wide – "they are destroyed by vehicles." And as being run over "basically turns them into mush," it's more difficult to collect information on them. At least when adult toads are lost, their carcasses can be counted.

Year-Round Work

Unlike many groups, one local team, who are in their eighth year of operating, go out year-round – not nightly, but whenever weather are damp, or if a member has reported about a toad sighting in their messaging app. When I ask to join them on patrol, they admit it is "not ideal conditions" – toad hibernation season has started and it's been a dry day – but several of the helpers gamely agree to walk up and down their route with me and see what we can find. "If anyone can find any toads tonight, those two will spot one," says the group coordinator, pointing to her teenage child and the experienced member. We've been out for two hours without a glimpse of any amphibians, and now they have scaled a wire barrier to inspect beneath some wood.

Family Involvement

The mother and son joined the group a while back. The youngster loves all things wildlife and has an goal to become a conservationist, so his parent started to look for activities they could do jointly to help local wildlife. Now she loves it as much as he does, the 41-year-old small business owner tells me – so when the team was looking for a fresh coordinator recently, she decided to step up.

The youth, too, has been instrumental in the group. A video he made, imploring the local council to close a street through a protected area during migration season, swung the decision the group's way. After a year of campaigning, the authority agreed to an "restricted access" rule between evening and morning from February through to April. The majority of motorists duly avoided the road.

Additional Species and Difficulties

Several cars go by when I'm out on duty and we find some victims as a result – no amphibians, but three squashed newts. We see one live amphibian as well, and the teenager is especially excited to see a harvestman, which dances in his palms. Yet in spite of the group's best efforts to let me see a toad, the local population has obviously gone dormant for the colder months. It seems that I couldn't have found any more luck elsewhere in the country – all the patrol groups I contact explain that it's very difficult at this time of year.

The group expects to help approximately 10,000 adult toads across the road

A message I receive from another volunteer, who has generously made the effort to check for toads in a famous site, thought to be the biggest tracked toad group in the UK, reaches me with the title: "None found." However, in late winter, he informs me, the group expects to help approximately ten thousand mature amphibians over the street.

Impact and Challenges

How much of a difference can these groups actually make? "The reality that volunteers are performing this consistently on cold, damp and unpleasant evenings is remarkable," says an researcher. "This effort that very much should be celebrated." However, while toad patrols are able to slow the decline, they cannot prevent it entirely – partly since vehicles is just one danger.

Additional Threats

The global warming has meant longer periods of drought, which cause the wrong conditions for some of the animals that toads eat, such as invertebrates, while higher water temperatures have led to an rise of toxic plants, which can be harmful to toads. Milder winters also cause toads to emerge from their hibernation more often, disrupting the resource preservation vital to their life cycle. Habitat destruction – especially the disappearance of large ponds – is another menace.

Researchers are "always a bit worried about overemphasizing practical benefits on biodiversity," however "There is a big value in just their presence." But toads play an important role in the food chain, consuming pretty much any small creatures or small animals they can fit in their mouths and in turn sustaining a number of predators, such as hedgehogs and otters. Enhancing conditions for toads – such as creating more ponds, conserving woodland and installing amphibian passages – "we'll improve them for a wide range of other species."

Cultural Significance

Another reason to work to preserve toads present is their "historical significance," adds an specialist. Legends and tales around toads go back {centuries|hundred