The City of Ljubljana and the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles are once again this year to carry out a campaign of amphibian protection on Večna pot.

Amphibians are among the most threatened in the group of vertebrates. One of the causes is their being run over in large numbers during their migration to spawning grounds. Amphibians spend the winter in hibernation and in spring, when the damp overnight temperatures rise above zero, begin their spring migration to spawning grounds where they mate and lay their spawn. The first on the move are frogs, followed soon after by common toads, which may travel up to five kilometres. It is often the case that their migration paths cross roads and these sections of roads where large numbers of them are run over are known as black spots.

Such a place exists at Večna pot in Ljubljana, where Societas herpetologica slovenica - the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles - and the City of Ljubljana organise a campaign to rescue amphibians.

The objective of the campaign is to set up a temporary fence to prevent amphibians from being run over as well as to educate and raise awareness among the general public about the problem of roads and amphibians.

The fence will be put up this weekend, 12 and 13 March 2011, when the amphibians begin to move and they will be surveyed every night with the help of volunteers. Amphibians that are stopped by the fence will be collected in buckets and safely carried across the road.

More information (in Slovene only) can be found on the website "Dvoživke na Večni poti", where we will regularly publish news, brief reportage and photos from the campaign.

You are warmly welcome to join us in the campaign!