Sighting of rare lizard on West Coast could impact future development plans

The rare sighting of the Orange Sandveld Lizard on the West Coast raises questions for future development plans in the region, which may be impacted if the species is classified as endangered.

The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), in a statement last week, revealed that the lizard was rediscovered during surveys conducted over two weeks in December 2022. The work is a collaboration between the EWT, the South African National Biodiversity Institute and the Bayworld Museum.

The survey was conducted near Lambert's Bay on the West Coast. December marks the second time the lizard was ever recorded live, explained Dr Oliver Cowan, a conservation and data scientist at the EWT's Conservation and Planning Unit.