Frogs, Toads and Newts licensing
There are six amphibian species native to Wales. All amphibians need fresh water in which to lay their eggs or spawn and enough suitable habitat nearby to spend the rest of their year.
This page cannot cover all aspects of the law or amphibian ecology, but is an introduction to show how you can help to protect these species.
UK legislation
The most common species are protected from sale under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended). These are as follows:
- Common frog, Rana temporaria
- Common toad, Bufo bufo
- Palmate newt, Triturus helveticus
- Smooth / common newt, Triturus vulgaris
This legislation protects them from sale, or advertising / offering them for sale. This is to protect them from exploitation in the pet trade or for laboratory use.
NRW can issue licences for several purposes under this legislation, including scientific, research, educational, conservation and photography, but not for development.
European legislation
Our two rarest amphibians are protected under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 (known as ‘the Habitats Regulations’). This is because they have declined throughout Europe in recent decades. The Habitats Regulations lists the following amphibian EPS:
- Great crested (or Warty) newt, Triturus cristatus
- Natterjack toad, Bufo calamita
Under the Habitats Regulations, it is an offence if you:
- Deliberately capture, injure or kill any wild animal of an EPS,
- Deliberately disturb wild animals of any such species,
- Deliberately take or destroy the eggs of such an animal, or
- Damage or destroy a breeding site or resting place of such an animal
Disturbance is defined as that which is likely:
- To impair their ability –
- To survive, to breed or reproduce, or to rear or nurture their young, or
- In the case of animals of a hibernating or migratory species, to hibernate or migrate; or
- To affect significantly the local distribution or abundance of the species to which they belong
There are other offences relating to the possession, transport, sell or exchange a protected species.
For a summary of amphibian legal protection, see legally protected reptiles and amphibians in Wales.
Licensing
NRW issues licences under Regulation 55 of the Habitats Regulations to allow activities involving EPS to proceed, which would otherwise be offences. We issue them for specific purposes stated in the Regulations, if the following three tests are met:
- The purpose of the work is for preserving public health or public safety or other imperative reasons of over-riding public interest including those of a social or economic nature and beneficial consequences of primary importance for the environment
- That there is no satisfactory alternative
- That the action authorised will not be detrimental to the maintenance of the population of the species concerned at a favourable conservation status in their natural range
Other licensing purposes include the following:
- Scientific and educational purposes,
- Ringing or marking,
- Conserving wild animals or wild plants,
- Protecting any zoological or botanical collection,
- Preventing the spread of disease,
- Preventing serious damage
When you can apply for a licence
Find out who can apply for a protected species licence
Apply for a protected species licence
If you cannot avoid disturbing protected species, or damaging their breeding sites and resting places, you can apply for a licence for a range of different activities:
Great crested newt licensing
Great crested newts are protected by law, including their breeding sites and resting places.
It is against the law to:
- capture, injure or kill great crested newts
- damage or destroy a breeding or resting place
- obstruct access to their resting or sheltering places
- possess, transport, sell or exchange live or dead great crested newts
- take great crested newt eggs
You may be able to get a licence from us for certain specific purposes if the work you want to do is likely to commit an offence.
Apply for a great crested newt licence
Contact us
You can contact us for help at any time before or during your licence application.