RAUK - Archived Forum - Midwife toads and the law

Confusing isn't it! The midwife toad is indeed an alien or non-native species in the United Kingdom. Technically picking one up in the wild and putting it down again could constitute an offence under the wildlife & countryside act I believe, so taking steps to encourage its distribution would technically be illegal.

It isn't thought to present a threat to native species though, so no need to eradicate them on sight. This might well be the case with a voracious predator like the amercian bullfrog or a species such as Triturus carnifex the Italian crested newt, which is capable of breeding with the native great crested newt and comprimising its genetic purity.

I'm not sure if the conservation status of the midwife toad will be reviewed in the UK due to its endangered status elsewhere.. I wonder if Jim Foster at EN could tell us more about the situation regarding Alytes obstetricans in the UK?

Jim Kindly supplied this reply:

Alytes obstetricans has been introduced to England at several sites,
most notably in Bedfordshire (see Beebee & Griffiths (2000) for further
details). Some of the introductions have resulted in populations
establishing and, to some extent, increasing in range. Some smaller
populations have also become established as a result of movement of
toads from the orginal introduction sites. The impact of this species on native fauna is unknown, but it seems unlikely that there would be
serious problems for native amphibians in terms of predation or
competition. Some Spanish populations of this species have recently been subject to serious declines apparently caused by disease, so there is a potential concern over disease issues. Further movements of the toads within England, and further introductions, would be unwise in conservation terms and indeed release to the wild could be an offence under Section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) as A. obstetricans is listed on Schedule 9. There are concerns about the conservation of this species in certain parts of its native range, but it seems that conservation measures and policies within their range would be the best response; it is not considered necessary, at least at present, to promote conservation measures outside its natural range, such as in England.

Reference: Beebee, TJC & Griffiths, RA (2000) Amphibians and Reptiles.
The New Naturilist. HarperCollins, London.

I hope this is useful.

Jim Foster

Appologies from admin for originally stating that this is an extract from the reference given, it is in fact Jim's own words, the reference relates to that given in the text.