MARWELL Zoo in Winchester has released scores of Britain’s rarest lizard back into the wild.

As part of efforts to restore biodiversity, it has released 80 juvenile sand lizards onto Eelmoor Marsh Site of Special Scientific Interest, near Farnborough.

This is the first stage in a three-year release plan, which will see the zoo restore the animals to their natural habitat and historic range.

The lizard population will be closely monitored after their release by Marwell Wildlife and University of Southampton PhD student, Rachel Gardner.

She said: “As part of the close monitoring of the lizards after the release we hope to radio tag a portion of the population next year, in order to follow individuals more closely. In total we intend for 240 individuals to be released during this reintroduction programme to establish a self-sustaining population at the site indefinitely.”

Marwell conservation biologist Dr Martin Wilkie said: “This is a rare opportunity to monitor this cryptic species after their release, to try to understand its habitat requirements and ability to survive.

“It will also be a chance to answer other fundamental questions around their ecology on a site that we are directly managing, which is very difficult elsewhere.”

The heathland site, owned by QinetiQ and managed by Marwell Wildlife, has been restored to favourable condition following more than 20 years of targeted habitat management.

Dr Sam Healy, group corporate responsibility director at QinetiQ, said: “It is a privilege for QinetiQ to have this important conservation programme at Eelmoor Marsh on our Farnborough site. We are delighted that sand lizards are being released.”

The release comes in the year in which Marwell and partners celebrate a quarter of a century of successful sand lizard reintroductions.

Over the past 25 years Marwell Wildlife, in conjunction with the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC) Trust and Natural England, has reported on the successful outcome of releasing captive bred lizards on heathland and coastal dune sites.

Nearly 2,000 juvenile sand lizards have been reintroduced to their indigenous habitats over the duration of the project, with a number of populations now surviving for over two decades since the founder animals were released.