Lancashire Amphibian and Reptile Atlas Project Moves up a Gear

The Lancashire Amphibian and Reptile Atlas Project (LARA) is an exciting initiative and a major step forward for Amphibian and Reptile Recording in the North West of England.

LARA has evolved from the ARGSL records database, which was established in 2007 as part of the North West Slow-Worm Hunt project funded by the Big Lottery Awards for All.

ARGSL’s aim in 2007 was to collect together as many slow-worm records as possible from the Vice County of South Lancashire, (an area now covered by Greater Manchester, Merseyside and part of Lancashire) but it was soon receiving data from the Vice County of West Lancashire aswell (an area covering both West and North Lancashire).

With the establishment of two new ARGs in Lancashire, it seemed sensible to make the ARGSL recording project more inclusive and more relevant to recorders across the whole of Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Mersyeside. The LARA database will include all the records collected by ARGSL, as well as data contributed by other ARGs across the region.

LARA is keen to receive amphibian and reptile records from anywhere in Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside. For more information contact David Orchard ([email protected]).