Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, together with our partner organisation, Amphibian and Reptile Groups of UK (ARG UK) co-hosted a very special meeting in Somerset in October, to discuss how best to conserve the adder, arguably the most vulnerable of our native reptiles.

You can download a summary of the abstracts here: pdf Abstracts - The Vanishing Viper - Presentations and Workshops on 8-9 October.pdf (275 KB)

Here we include the presentations from the meeting in .pdf format. These are for public use, but please respect the authors' right to copyright, and credit them if you wish to reproduce the information contained.  

Session 1: Strategic challenges and solutions for adder conservation. Introduced by Tony Gent (ARC)

• Strategic challenges and solutions for adder conservation, Jim Foster (ARC) -  pdf Jim Foster - Strategic Challenges and solutions for adder conservation (2.47 MB)
• National status and trends of adders in Britain: what do we know? John Baker (ARG UK), Angie Julian (ARG UK) & Jim Foster (ARC)  pdf John Baker - National status and trends of adder in Britain (2.52 MB)

Session 2: Insights from survey and research. Chair: John Dickson (RAGS)

• Long term surveillance, Rick Hodges (KRAG) - pdf Rick Hodges Long term monitoring (2.43 MB)
• How do we turn surveys into an assessment of conservation status? Steve Langham (SARG) -  pdf Steve Langham How do we turn surveys into an assessment of conservation status (4.93 MB)
• How did adders become extinct in Warwickshire? Jan Clemons (WART) -  pdf Jan Clemons How did adders become extinct in Warwickshire (3.83 MB)

 Session 3: Managing landscapes sympathetically for adders – the opportunities and challenges for land managers. Chair: Mike Philips (KRAG)

• Challenges of managing adders on the Quantocks, Iain Porter, Development Officer (The Quantock Hills AONB) -  pdf Iain Porter - Competing Priorities - Managing Quantock for all - compressed.pdf (5.32 MB)
• Managing Common land for adders - experiences from Greenham Common and beyond, Alex Cruickshank, Senior Land Manager, Berkshire (Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust) -  pdf Alex Cruickshank - Managing common land for adders - experiences from Greenham Common and beyond.pdf (3.82 MB)
• Managing habitat for an adder reintroduction at Hounslow Heath, Chris Slack -  pdf Chris Slack - Hounslow Heath Management 2000-2016.pdf (6.83 MB)
• Impact of cattle grazing on adders in the peak district, Chris Monk (DARG) -   pdf Chris Monk - Land management in the English uplands and the consequences for adders.pdf (3.62 MB)
• Challenges of managing adders on wildlife sites in Wales, Rob Parry (The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales) -  pdf Rob Parry - Challenges of managing nature reserves for adders (compressed).pdf (3.83 MB)

Session 4: Public interactions with adders – what messages should we be broadcasting (Workshop). Facilitated by Pete Hill & Mark Barber (ARC).

• A summary of the outcomes from workshop 'Public interactions with adders', Mark Barber, Peter Hill (Amphibian and Reptile Conservation) & Angie Julian (ARG UK):  pdf Public interactions with adders - Vanishing Viper workshop 8 October 2016.pdf (516 KB)

Session 5: Site protection, regulation and policy issues. Chair: Chris Monk (Derbyshire ARG)

• How does the law protect adders? Tony Gent (ARC) - pdf Tony Gent Adder protection Oct 2016 (1.27 MB)
• Site protection, regulation and policy issues in England including the role of SSSIs, Paul Edgar (NE) -  pdf Paul Edgar - Site protection, regulation and policy in England (5.69 MB)
• Site protection, regulation and policy issues – the experience in Wales, Liz Howe (NRW) -  pdf Liz Howe Y Wiber Diflannu, The Vanishing Viper Priorities (1.11 MB)

Session 6: Mitigating development impacts. Chair Chris Gleed-Owen, (CGO Ecology/Dorset ARG)

• IUCN Guidelines for translocating adders, Richard Griffiths (DICE) & Gemma Harding (Wiltshire ARG) -   pdf Harding and Griffiths IUCN guidelines for translocating adders (2.49 MB)  
• Mitigation for Adder Vipera berus, Jonathan Cranfield (Herpetologic Ltd) -  document John Cranfield - Mitigation for Adder (4.83 MB)
• Adders and Development: A case study from Essex, Darryn Nash (DICE) -  pdf Darryn Nash - The spatial ecology of translocated adders.pdf (3.95 MB)
• Reptile Mitigation in Peatland Habitat in Kintyre:  Is prevention better than the cure? Ian Bradley (Caledonian Conservation) -  pdf Caledonian Conservation Freasdail Wind Farm Grid Connection.pdf (8.74 MB)
• Can translocations assist conservation efforts - Case Study at Hounslow Heath? Gareth Matthes (GPM Ecology) -  pdf Gareth Matthes - Adders at Hounslow Heath.pdf (4.32 MB)

• The conservation status of the adder Vipera Berus in London, Will Atkins, (LEHART) -  pdf Will Atkins - The conservation status of the Adder Vipera berus in London in 2016.pdf
  (71 KB)

Session 7: Prioritisation of threats and conservation actions for the Adder.  Led by Richard Griffiths (DICE) and Steve Langham (SARG)

pdf Richard Griffiths - Vanishing Viper Workshop outline and summing up.pdf (446 KB)