Our Mission
The IUCN Viper Specialist Group is dedicated to protecting vipers and their habitats worldwide.
Photo by Scott Trageser
Acting as a Global Voice for Viper Conservation
Approximately 1 in 5 viper species are threatened according to IUCN Red List criteria. Primary threats to these snakes include habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation, as well as human persecution and exploitation.
protecting Vipers and Connecting Conservation Biologists Worldwide
The IUCN Viper Specialist Group goal is to coordinate viper conservation actions around the world in order to prevent vipers from further declines and extinction.
We accomplish our mission through bringing together a global network of viper conservation biologists who work on defining conservation priorities, conducting assessments, and implementing conservation action plans. We are in the process of updating and expanding status assessments for all viper species and building a network of members to facilitate globally coordinated conservation efforts for these snakes.
Photo by Pritpal Soorae
Our Vision
To join forces for the conservation of vipers from global to local levels
Our vision is to build a comprehensive “Action Plan” for all viper species—a living document which brings together examples from successful conservation work, highlights useful methods, addresses major conservation challenges in detail, and provides guidelines and resources for viper conservation.
The Viper Specialist Group is opening the path for a future in which vipers and people coexist alongside each other.
Photo by Andriy Tupikov
A growing contribution to conservation
OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
The VSG members have been involved in conservation research project in many parts of the world; some examples are the conservation planning efforts for vipers in the Americas, the research projects on vipers all over the world, the education programs where some members have reached to over 1,000 people on the importance and status of vipers, our involvement with multiple IUCN Red List assessments, the production of many research papers to know more about vipers and prioritize species and regions of viper conservation in a global context, the publication of Vipera, the IUCN Viper Specialist Group Bulletin, the participation in several forums in different parts of the world to present viper related research and to enhance the exchange of information among viper conservationists in the world, the attempts to identify areas potential for the conservation of vipers in the world, and the publication of this website.
Conservation and Education
All wildlife, including snakes and more specifically viper species must survive in their natural habitats.
Critical to protecting these species and their ecosystems are people. Local communities and wildlife often live alongside each other, sharing land and leading to conflicts for space and resources. If people and wildlife learn to live together the future for all will thrive.
That’s why we work internationally at increasing knowledge about snakes of the Viperidae family and helping everyone understand the crucial role of each species in the ecological balance.
By improving the understanding of vipers’ importance, we aim at dispelling myths and promoting an intrinsic value to vipers.
Photo by A. Simovic