Lizard populations have been brought back in America’s Ozark glades through the burning of entire mountains and valleys.
When lizards can’t disperse and recolonise areas, there is higher local extinction. Suppressing woodland fire in the Ozarks has created a strong barrier to lizards dispersing. This has negatively impacted - among other species - the eastern collard lizard.
This burning - known as landscape-level burning - allowed the lizards to begin their own restoration efforts without the assistance of biologists.
Read more at Ecology