Hull Biodiversity Action Plan

Common Toads are generally brownish in colour and have rough warty skin. They are more colourful in the breeding season, especially the males which may be yellow or almost red in colour. Toads have a fat, thickset body with a broad, round head. Males grow to about 8 cm long and females can reach a length of 13 cm. Only male Toads croak. The Common Toad is a slow mover and it crawls rather than hops. Although Toads are generally seen by water they can be found in gardens and woodlands. Common Toads are very useful to have in the garden as they eat slugs, snails and a wide variety of other small creatures. Toads themselves are caught and eaten by a range of animals including Pikes, Weasels, Rats, Hedgehogs, Foxes, Herons, Gulls, and Crows. Their skin makes an unpleasant-tasting poisonous substance that protects them from some predators.

After waking from hibernation in late March or early April, Toads have a strong urge to return to their birth pond to breed. At this time many Toads are killed crossing roads. Toads depend entirely on the availability of a clean fresh water source to breed and so are a good indicator of the health of the environment. They prefer large, deep ponds and are less likely than frogs to colonise and breed in shallow garden ponds. Each female can lay 2000 eggs in two long spawn strings, wrapped around waterweed. The young Toads usually leave the water after rainstorms in July/August, often in large numbers and immediately seek cover in tall vegetation or under logs where they will hibernate through the winter.

CURRENT STATUS

The Common Toad is a widespread species and is present in nearly every 10km square in the country. It is recorded less frequently than the Common Frog. Within Hull the distribution and number of Common Toads is unknown.

CURRENT FACTORS AFFECTING THE COMMON TOAD

Habitat destruction and alteration has been of primary importance in the decline of the Common Toad. Toads can't breed without ponds. They are increasingly under threat from loss or separation from their breeding ponds by development. Ninety percent of rural ponds have disappeared during the last few decades. The increase in popularity of garden ponds means that urban areas are becoming increasingly more important habitats for Toads.
Changes in farming practices have had a damaging effect on most amphibians. The intensive management of arable land involves regular ploughing and application of fertiliser and pesticide, as well as mechanised reaping at the end of each season. This creates an unsuitable environment for adult and young amphibians when out of the water, whether foraging in summer or hibernating in winter.
Each spring Common Toads and other amphibians follow traditional migration routes to their spawning ponds. Many of their routes cross roads and this inevitably leads to road casualties.

CURRENT ACTION

Legal Status

Toads receive some protection under Appendix III of the Bern Convention. They are also listed under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981). This means that it is an offence to sell Toads collected in the wild without a licence. This Act was amended in 1995 so that a written licence is also required for any collection in the breeding season.

Management, Research and Guidance

The Common Toad suffers high casualties when crossing roads in spring to reach breeding ponds. Nationally, over 600 Toad crossings are registered by the Highways Department who arrange for signs or even Toad underpasses. In some places local people organise 'Toad Patrols' where Toads are collected and lifted across the road. There are no recorded Toad crossings within Hull.

ACTION PLAN AIMS

To determine the distribution of Common Toads within Hull.
To identify threats to Common Toads in Hull.
To maintain the number of ponds in Hull.
To enhance the condition of existing ponds.
To encourage the creation of new ponds.
To create safe places for Toads to cross roads.
To encourage terrestrial habitat management that will benefit Toads.
To increase public awareness of Common Toads and encourage action.

WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO

Action	Target	Partner	Aim
Policy and Legislation
Ensure appropriate mitigation if ponds are lost to development.	Ongoing: Ponds lost through development must be replaced elsewhere.	KuHCC (Planning)	3, 5
Promote pond construction in appropriate new developments.	Ongoing: Require developers to build new ponds.	KuHCC (Planning)	5
Ensure roads built across known Toad migration routes have Toad tunnels.	Ongoing: Require developers to build Toad tunnels.	KuHCC (Planning, Highways)	2, 6
Habitat Management and Protection
Manage terrestrial habitats in ways that will benefit Toads.	Ongoing: Leave piles of logs/stones as hibernation sites.	KuHCC (Grounds Maintenance)	7
Ensure that Toad crossings on roads are as safe as possible.	Short Term: Identify places where Toads cross roads in Hull. Medium Term: Ensure road drains at Toad crossings have wire mesh to stop Toads getting stuck if they fall in. Medium Term: Erect Toad warning signs for March/April/May at Toad crossing points.	HWW (Frogline) KuHCC (Planning, Highways) KuHCC (Highways)	6 6 6
Advisory
Guidance on building features suitable for Toads and other wildlife.	Medium Term: Produce a leaflet on features for Toads and other wildlife within gardens and distribute to garden centres.	YWT	3, 5, 7
Future Research and Monitoring
Determine current status.	Short Term: Assess current status from existing records.	NEYEDC	1
Encourage Hull residents to record Common Toad sightings.	Ongoing: Article in local press (March or April) asking people to send in records of Common Toads.	YWT, HWW (Frogline)	1, 8
Communications and Publicity
Increase public awareness and involvement in 'Toads on Roads Campaign'.	Ongoing: Annual press releases in February and March.	HWW (Frogline)	8

WHAT WE CAN ALL DO

Create a pond suitable for Toads - consider having a wildlife pond rather than keeping fish.
Avoid the use of chemicals such as slug pellets - let the Toads control your pests.
Create places that will provide shelter for Toads and other creatures, such as piles of logs or stones.
Help us determine the distribution of Toads in Hull by sending records of sightings to the Biodiversity Partnership.

LINKS WITH OTHER ACTION PLANS

Management of these habitats for Toads may also be beneficial for other species that use wetlands and surrounding habitat such as Great Crested Newts and Dragonflies and Damselflies.

REFERENCES

Arnold, H. R. (1995) Atlas of Amphibians and Reptiles in Britain. HMSO, London.

Beebee, T. J. C. (1996) Ecology and Conservation of Amphibians. Chapman & Hall, London.

English Nature (1993) Facts About Amphibains. English Nature, Peterborough.

English Nature (1998) Managing Ponds for Wildlife. English Nature, Peterborough.

Froglife (1994) Frogs, Toads, and Newts in Garden Ponds. Froglife Advice Sheet 1. Froglife, Halesworth.

Froglife (1995) Amphibians and Roads: Guidelines to Help Reduce the Risk of Injury and Death to Amphibians from Vehicles and Road Drains. Froglife Advice Sheet 3. Froglife, Halesworth.

Joint Nature Conservation Committee (1995) A Framework for the Conservation of Amphibians and Reptiles in the UK. JNCC, Peterborough.