Dragons on the hills
Dragons in the Hills has been awarded £100,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, to find out more about Northern Ireland’s own little dragons – our three native amphibians and reptiles: common frog, common lizard and smooth newt. Although two of these are designated Northern Ireland priority species based on reported widespread declines, little is currently known of their abundance and distribution, or how they are faring in today’s fast-changing world. We will aim to improve our knowledge of the conservation status of the amphibians and reptiles in the Mourne Gullion Strangford UNESCO Global Geopark by mapping their distribution and by encouraging land managers to create and connect important habitat features, will increase the area suitable for them.
Dragons in the Hills will also work closely with the communities living in this ancient landscape including the volcanic Ring of Gullion, the atmospheric Mourne Mountains and the beautiful Strangford and Lecale AONBs. We aim to reconnect the local people of Mourne Gullion Strangford UNESCO Global Geopark, as well as those coming from farther afield to visit the ‘land of ice and fire’, with their rich historic and natural heritage by offering them the opportunity to explore the ‘small places’; looking out for jelly-like frog spawn, masses of shoaling tadpoles, the whisk of a lizard’s tail or the glory of our little amphibious dragons, effortlessly sculling through their watery world.
Celebration of Dragons in the Hills Project
A quicker-than-light flash of golden brown on an old stone wall, or a circle of ripples in a ditch, are all most people see of the native reptiles and amphibians…