Conservation strategies for the Caucasus Viper, Vipera kaznakovi Nikolsky 1909, in the East Black Sea Region, Turkey

Abstract

We evaluated the current status and main threats to the Caucasus viper (Vipera kaznakovi Nikolsky 1909), from the East Black Sea Region, Turkey, via 21 days of intensive fieldwork and interviews with locals. We found that habitat loss and destruction, illegal collection, and intentional or accidental killings are the main threats to V. kaznakovi in the region. We prepared a 5-year Action Plan for the Turkish General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks and outline a strategy for promoting the sustainability of the species with participation of regional administrations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and locals. The major conservation measures include: (1) creating protected areas in regions with high viper densities (2) preventing and controlling illegal collection, (3) raising awareness among locals to reduce the intentional and accidental killing of vipers.