Grand project launched for South Africa's reptiles

South Africa is home to an exceptionally high number of reptiles, many of which occur nowhere else in the world, but records of these animals are way out of date.

On Tuesday the South African Biodiversity Institute and the University of Cape Town's Avian Demography Unit launched a four-year programme to identify each of the country's reptiles and assess its conservation status.

Kristal Maze, policy and planning director of the institute said in a statement: "We know very little about the conservation status of reptiles, although South Africa has an extremely rich reptile fauna, with more than 360 species and 22 families.

"This information is essential for identifying priorities like conservation action, which is likely to include regulation of collection for the pet trade, and minimising habitat loss."

The two organisations have called on the public to help with the Southern African Reptile Conservation Assessment.

James Harrison, of the demography unit, said it was "astonishing" how much valuable and useful information the public was able to gather. Anyone with access to a digital camera could photograph any reptile they saw and record accurate information about the locality where it was spotted.

Photographs that are good enough to be used to identify species are to form part of the "virtual museum collection" of photographic specimens and put on the project's website.

The project is to be run according to World Conservation Union (IUCN) standards and criteria.

Holly Dublin, chair of the the IUCN's species survival commission, commended South Africa for undertaking the project and said monitoring and assessment were essential if the country was to meet its international obligations and comply with international biodiversity legislation.

The last time a similar project was undertaken on reptiles was in 1988 and much of the information gathered then is out of date.

South Africa has five times more reptile species than would be expected for a country of its size. It has the third-highest number of lizard species in the world, after Australia and Mexico.

Reptiles include snakes, tortoises, lizards, turtles, geckos, crocodiles and chameleons.

Anyone wishing to take part may visit: www.saherps.net

Source: www.iol.co.za