The natterjack toad (Epidalea calamita) can only be found at a handful of locations in Scotland, all on the Solway coast; it is now Scotland’s rarest amphibian. Natterjack numbers have declined dramatically in recent years, largely due to habitat loss caused by sea level rise, coastal erosion, agricultural intensification, urban expansion and commercial forestry.

To help address this decline in habitat, Scottish Water, NatureScot, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC), and Hoddom and Kinmount Estates have come together to build hibernacula, specialist structures designed to provide natterjacks safe spaces to shelter in winter. The project has been funded by Species on the Edge, an endangered species conservation programme funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The construction of the hibernacula has been carried out by environmental services and ground maintenance company, Ground Control.

Each hibernaculum is built by digging pits into the earth and filling them with large rocks. Sand is packed into the spaces between. The natterjack toad is the only amphibian in the UK with the ability to burrow, and the structure creates a network of cavities and crevices with varying microclimates into which the natterjacks can burrow, shelter and regulate their body temperature during winter.