Translocatie reptielen bij de verbreding A12 Ede-Grijsoord

De verbreding van de A12 tussen Ede en knooppunt Grijsoord van 2x2 naar 2x3 rijstroken door Rijkswaterstaat en Heijmans is afgelopen zomer afgerond. Het project had drie hoofddoelen: 1. betere doorstroming van het verkeer tussen Ede en knooppunt Grijsoord; 2. betere bereikbaarheid van de regio; 3. grotere verkeersveiligheid. Aangezien de weg over vrijwel het volledige traject door Natura2000-gebied liep en er in het werkgebied hoge natuurwaarden aanwezig waren, was het minimaliseren van aantasting van de natuur een speerpunt in dit project. Wat betreft reptielen gaat het om levendbarende hagedis (Zootoca vivipara), zandhagedis (Lacerta agilis), hazelworm (Anguis fragilis) en gladde slang (Coronella austriaca). Special attention had to be given to reptile species present in the road verges of the A12 when plans were made by Rijkswaterstaat (organization responsible for design, construction, management and maintenance of the main infrastructure in the Netherlands) to widen the motorway that runs through the Veluwe, a Natura 2000-area in the centre of the Netherlands. The widening of the road would affect seventeen hectares of land, and therefore the reptiles occupying them needed to be moved. Great care was taken to make good release sites, not only qualitatively but also spatially, improving them in such a way that there was enough space for the newcomers. In addition, we decided to look for new reptile habitat outside Rijkswaterstaat property, eventually connecting several release locations to the network of heathlands in the region. We were able to catch 718 sand lizards (Lacerta agilis), 46 slow worms (Anguis fragilis), 21 common lizards (Zootoca vivipara) and six smooth snakes (Coronella austriaca). Although most (89%) individuals were caught by hand, 70% of A. fragilis and 50% of C. austriaca were found underneath artificial refuges. Notable was the extremely high density of sand lizards (732-1106 / ha.) on two small areas of heathland that were completely surrounded by asphalt. The subsequent decline in catches, high percentage of sub-adults and balanced sex ratio all indicate that we had caught most of the sand lizards, and that, as these criteria met the required standards, we can regard the catching as a success. However, the development of the vegetation and the various reptile populations will be followed until 2032.