Methods
This paper focuses on two aspects of a review on best practice for reptile and amphibian fencing. Firstly, a review of available published guidance was conducted. The search methods involved an online search for published guidance on road mitigation that was either specifically for reptiles and/or amphibians or included sections on reptiles and/or amphibians and provided fencing recommendations. The search was undertaken in English and included all countries. It is possible that some non-English countries may have guidance that has not been included in the review.
A total of twelve published reports were identified, which were included in the review. From the reports, the following information was extrapolated for comparison: general recommendations on reptile or amphibian fencing, materials and/or fencing gauge, fencing heights per species group (categorized as lizards, snakes, tortoises, turtles (freshwater), salamanders and newts, toads, and frogs) and finally additional recommendations such as inclusion of anti-dig installation or a top-lip. The data extrapolated from these reports was combined to find mean fencing heights by species group as well as any consistent recommendations.
Further, in creating our recommendations for fencing, in addition to the summaries of guidance documents above, we included recent relevant research that has been carried out that may not have been included in the fencing guidelines as well as our own professional observations. Through Animex International, we supply, install and consult on fencing for herpetofauna globally and have noted observations that have been found in monitoring on existing projects. Although not all projects are monitored for research purposes, observations on multiple projects can help inform best practice and help identify future research needs.