Official webpage of the Hungarian meadow viper Life-project
The Hungarian meadow viper is a rare snake species, which occurs only in the Carpathian Basin. This small venomous snake disappeared from most of its known range and its population declined rapidly during the last decades of the 20th century due to the destruction of its grassland habitats. This subspecies of the meadow vipers is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List.
To halt its decline, strong protection and intensive conservation efforts have been implemented in Hungary since 2004. The species conservation programme included habitat restoration and protection, reinforcement of viper numbers through captive breeding and release of young snakes, population monitoring and detailed scientific research.
As a credit to this work, the Hungarian meadow viper LIFE-project has been awarded “Best of the Best” in 2009 and 2015 out of Europe Commission’s LIFE-funded conservation projects.
In the framework of the current LIFE-funded project, conservationists will join forces to protect and further strengthen the Hungarian meadow viper population between 2019 and 2025. The main objective of the LIFE HUNVIPHAB project is the significant improvement of the conservation status of the critically endangered Hungarian meadow viper. Besides conservation activities public awareness also has a great importance. Our goal is to increase knowledge and awareness about the Hungarian meadow viper to ensure its protection.
Let’s explore the extraordinary life of the Hungarian meadow viper together, with the common purpose of saving this unique species for future generations!
Previous news
