THE HERALD (Glasgow, UK) 06 April 05 Adders at risk from serious bite into habitats (Alan MacDermid)
They get a bad press and people recoil at the sight of them, but adders still count for something, conservationists claimed yesterday.
The adder is Scotland's only native snake, and Scottish Natural Heritage is worried that numbers are in decline.
The agency has put the adder population under the spotlight for the launch of its book, Amphibians and Reptiles, and also wants to promote a UK-wide adder count. The book explains the life-cycle and habitats of Scotland's snakes, frogs, toads, newts and lizards, and the threats they face.
Adders are found throughout Scotland on heathland moors, the borders of woods and fields, overgrown quarries and railway embankments, although they are absent from much of the central Lowlands, the Outer Hebrides and the Northern Isles.
Records of adder sightings are difficult to obtain and SNH hopes to improve this by contributing to the Make the Adder Count Spring Census, co-ordinated by the Herpetological Conservation Trust.
Mairi Cole, co-author of the SNH book, said: "The warm weather brings out adders and the count will be a big help in planning conservation work for the future. We don't have a lot of information about the status of amphibians and reptiles in Scotland but anecdotal records suggest they are declining due to loss of habitat.
She added: "Conservationists are working to try to restore and create the right conditions for them, and any help we can get in doing this could benefit these animals enormously.
"Gardeners and other land managers can play a very important role in protecting these animals by helping to design habitats which include suitable areas for basking lizards, or ponds for local frogs and toads."
Chris Gleed-Owen, research & monitoring officer at the Herpetological Conservation Trust, which was also involved in the book, said: "Adders were once much more common throughout the whole of Britain, but we now fear that they are in rapid decline. We know that they have been lost from many lowland areas and, even in upland areas, much of their habitat has been lost under forestry plantations.
"People still fear adders – despite deaths from adder bites being extremely rare – and we have a difficult job convincing people that they are worth caring about. The Make the Adder Count survey is part of our efforts to gather information and raise awareness."
Although Scotland is thought to have relatively healthy amphibian and reptile populations compared to the rest of the UK, habitat loss continues to be a major threat. There are fewer ponds in the countryside for amphibians, as land used for grazing is drained for crops, while many urban ponds have been filled in.
Similarly, habitats for reptiles, such as heath and moorland, frequently become too overgrown with trees and other scrub. Amphibians, particularly frogs, are particularly vulnerable to atmospheric water pollution. All amphibians and reptiles have some protection under the law in Scotland.
Adders rarely attack without provocation and during the last 70 years there have only been about seven deaths from adder bites in the UK. The effects are usually shock, anxiety or even panic. The victim must be kept calm and medical advice sought as soon as possible.
The adder – Vipera berus – is Britain's only venomous snake. They have a dark zig-zag on their backs, against a pale brown or grey background. Females can be distinguished by their greater length, duller colouring and orange eyes.
Mid-April is the snake's mating season and heralds the "dance of the adders", with mating males wrestling each other for supremacy.
http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/36715-print.shtml

THE SCOTSMAN (Edinburgh, UK) 06 April 05 Nationwide survey launched as snake numbers fail to add up (James Reynolds)
Scotland’s dwindling population of adders is to be counted in a survey to determine whether habitat destruction and changes in land use have damaged their numbers.
Although three species of snake are native to the UK - the smooth snake, grass snake and adder - only the adder has the ability to survive in Scotland’s harsher weather.
The UK’s only venomous snake, adders are found on heathland moors, the borders of woods and fields, overgrown quarries and railway embankments, although they are absent from much of the central lowlands, the Outer Hebrides and Northern Isles.
The Make Adders Count Spring Survey, co-ordinated by the Herpetological Conservation Trust (HCT) with support from Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), hopes to get more detailed information to establish whether anecdotal reports of drastic declines in population are true.
Loss of appropriate habitat due to intensive arable farming, drainage and building development, is one of the main problems facing reptiles and amphibians as well.
Mairi Cole, the co-author of a new SNH book titled Amphibians and Reptiles, said: "The warm weather is already bringing out adders this spring. The count will be a big help in planning conservation work for Scotland’s adders in the future."
Although they are the UK’s most venomous species, a bite from an adder is rarely fatal, and during the past 70 years there have only been seven deaths from this cause.
Adder sightings can be registered on the website www.adder.org.uk
http://news.scotsman.com/scitech.cfm?id=362012005

BBC (London, UK) 05 April 05 Snake census seeks adder numbers
An adder census is being conducted amid fears that numbers of Scotland's only snake are in decline.
Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) said little was known about the status of its population north of the border.
However, anecdotal evidence suggested that numbers were declining due to a loss of habitat.
Mairi Cole - co-author of a new book - said the spring census would be "a big help in planning conservation work for Scotland's adders in the future".
"Conservationists are working to try to restore and create the right conditions for amphibians and reptiles in Scotland, and any help we can get in doing this could benefit these animals enormously," she said.
"Gardeners and other land managers can play a very important role in protecting these animals by helping to design habitats which include suitable areas for basking lizards, or ponds for local frogs and toads."
The SNH book, entitled Amphibians and Reptiles, urges gardeners to include ponds and other such features in their work.
Ms Cole said SNH would be on the look-out to provide reports for the survey, which is being coordinated by the Herpetological Conservation Trust.
It wants the public to record sightings - as well as anecdotal evidence of areas where the animals have been seen in the past - through the Adder Nation website.
Adders are found on the edges of woods and fields, heathland moors, overgrown quarries and railway embankments across Scotland.
An SNH spokeswoman said a loss of habitat due to intensive arable farming, drainage and building development was one of the greatest threats to all amphibians and reptiles.
Chris Gleed-Owen, research and monitoring officer at the Herpetological Conservation Trust, said there were fears that adders were in "rapid decline" across Britain.
"People still fear adders - despite deaths from adder bites being extremely rare indeed - and we have a difficult job convincing people that they are worth caring about," he said.
"The Make the Adder Count survey is part of our efforts to gather information and raise awareness."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4413393.stm