Amphibian and Reptile Conservation's consultancy arm ARCESL and University of Kent's DICE have teamed up to carry out research and development into predictive modelling of great crested newt (GCN) occurrence in England. The project, commissioned by Natural England, is a follow-up to the Evidence Enhancement Project which ran in 2013 and 2014, delivered by Hyder-Cresswell, CGO Ecology and other partners.

The following from Sergé Bogaerts:

A deadly skin-eating fungus is threatening Belgian Fire Salamander populations. Amphibians are already globally threatened by dramatic population declines, which are in part driven by infectious diseases. Despite the well-known occurrence of several infectious amphibian diseases in Belgium, hitherto they appear not to have significantly affected native amphibian assemblages. However, a novel deadly fungus, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, was discovered in 2012 and almost wiped out the fire salamander in the Netherlands. This fungus now has been found in a dying fire salamander in Eupen, Belgium, by researchers at Ghent University.

The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) has published a series of 'average population density' maps on its website, showing the number of individuals per square kilometre for 49 common species of bird.

Australian researchers have shown for the first time that the advanced stages of chytridiomicosis in amphibians can be completely cured using fungicide and electrolyte therapy.

Do reptiles live on floodplains? It is a question I have often asked myself, and usually concluded that the answer is largely 'no.' The obvious exception is the grass snake, a highy mobile species, at home in agricultural and managed landscapes, and a good swimmer.