A new publication from the Adders are Amazing! Team

Adder (Vipera berus) populations are experiencing declines in many countries, including the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, perceptions of adders and other venomous snakes are generally negative, making conservation of these species a challenge. More worryingly, data from the Make the Adder Count Survey suggests that, despite legal protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981), persecution still remains within the top five causes for adder declines in the United Kingdom.

We believe that improving understanding of snakes such as the adder with the wider public, will encourage the cultural changes in attitudes to these 'unpopular' creatures that are so urgently needed to support their conservation efforts. Recent research indicates that in Britain today four out of five children are disconnected with the natural world, highlighting the importance of nature connectedness initiatives with younger children. We suggest that addressing the children's loss of connection to nature, and fears about 'unpopular' species, such as snakes and many invertebrates, at early attitude-formation stages can be crucial to combat the largely negative images that are frequently presented in the media.

ARG UK initiated an innovative adder-focussed public engagement project, Adders are Amazing! in Pembrokeshire, S.W. Wales which aimed to improve understanding and attitudes towards adders in the local community using a blended science-creative arts approach. The project included half-day primary school-based workshops to inform Year 4 - Year 6 children about adder ecology, alongside creative art experiences. Questionnaires were used to measure the children's attitudes towards adders and their nature connectedness both before and after the workshops and these were compared with equivalent questionnaires carried out at a control school where no workshops were conducted. 

The project demonstrated that engagement that blends both art and science can significantly change attitudes towards adders without any direct contact with the animals themselves. The workshops also significantly increased measures of the children's general connectedness to nature.

We recommend that conservation bodies focus on, and not shy away from, so-called ‘unpopular’ species, to promote understanding and acceptance of these species and support their conservation. Blended arts–science initiatives, which can be easily adapted to suit a wide range of species and the artistic practices of local communities, are an effective way to achieve this.

You can read the full paper here:

Please cite: Kelly, Sam J., John S. Kelly, Emma Gardner, John Baker, Chris Monk, and Angela Julian. "Improving attitudes towards adders (Vipera berus) and nature connectedness in primary‐age group children." People and Nature 5, no. 6 (2023): 1908-1921.

 We would like to thank:

Adder are Amazing! received funding through a partnership including the Welsh Government Rural Communities - Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Welsh Government, Biodiversity Solutions, the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, and Langdon Ecology.

We would also like to thank the Pembrokeshire communities, schools and businesses who participated in the project, and especially the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, for their support and enthusiasm. Without them Adders are Amazing! would not have been possible.