IAP-24-097

Adders in the north: Conserving northern England’s adder (Vipera berus) populations

The UK is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world, with most species having experienced population crashes over the past decades. The UK’s only venomous snake, the adder (Vipera berus), has experienced substantial declines with the complete extirpation of many populations. Only 7% of the historic populations are still occupied by the species (Gleed-Owen and Langham, 2012; Wilkinson and Arnell, 2013) and if the current rate of decline continues, the species could be extinct in England within the next decade (Gardner et al., 2019).

One of the main attributing factors to this decline in adders is a loss of suitable habitat and subsequent isolation, which leads to a decrease in genetic diversity and consequently the populations have less adaptive potential. However, work has only recently started to investigate the genomic diversity and spatial habitat use of the species in detail.

Despite little knowledge about the adders inhabiting the North Pennines, recent work as part of the “Adders Up” project, coordinated by CASE partner North Pennines National Landscape, has started to provide a more in-depth picture of the distribution and genetic makeup of the adder populations in the region. The North Pennines is likely a vital national region for adders due to a mosaic of important UK habitats, including 40% of the UK’s upland species-rich hay meadows, 30% of England’s upland heathland, and 27% of its blanket bog. It also forms part of a fairly contiguous stretch of habitat through the Pennines into southern Scotland.

This project will help to assess the conservation status of adders in the North Pennines and set conservation priorities and strategies for helping to either maintain or enhance the viability of populations. This work could act as a framework and baseline for other regional, national and international studies on the conservation of the adder.

This project will include a mixture of fieldwork, genomics, social surveys and will aim to establish active conservation measures as necessary. This project will work closely with the CASE partner, North Pennines National Landscape, to ensure that the project has the highest possible conservation impact.

Fieldwork: Fieldwork will take place mostly in the North Pennines with some work also occurring in the Northumberland National Park and Yorkshire Dales National Park. Fieldwork will consist of mapping adder distribution, collecting genetic samples and taking ecological data. Genetic sampling will focus on areas where samples have not previously been collected to fill in sampling gaps.

Genomics: Lab work will be completed to assess the genomic diversity of adders in the North Pennines, Northumberland National Park and Yorkshire Dales National Park. Low-coverage whole-genome sequencing will be completed. This data will be compared to previously generated data from the North Pennines and more broadly at a national level. It will enable the investigation of genetic diversity, population connectivity and adaptive potential in the North Pennines and determine how the populations are connected to the National Parks to the north (Northumberland) and south (Yorkshire Dales). The newly generated data will be added to a pre-existing dataset of ca. 80 genomes in the North Pennines region.

Modelling: Landscape modelling will be completed to identify barriers to dispersal and suitable habitat. These models will use data of spatial distribution, habitats and genomic data to generate resistance models.

Social surveys: Semi-structured questionnaire-based surveys will be completed with relevant stakeholders across the North Pennines. These will be used to understand adder abundance, perceptions of adders, conservation concerns, and establish what the barriers to better conservation practices might be.

Conservation: Based on the results from the previous methods, the student will work with landowners and other stakeholders to establish a conservation management plan for the North Pennines. Achievable and actionable targets will be set, which will ensure connectivity and viability of adder populations in the region.

Year 1

Starting to establish/enhance stakeholder engagement in the North Pennines.
Fieldwork.
Collection and processing of genetic samples.
Attendance at Herpetofauna Workers Meeting.

Year 2

Analyses of genetic samples and submission of scientific publication (data chapter 1).
Perform questionnaire-based surveys.
Complete landscape modelling and submission of scientific publication (data chapter 2).
Attendance at Herpetofauna Workers Meeting.

Year 3

Analyses of questionnaire-based surveys and submission of scientific publication (data chapter 3).
Engage with stakeholders and establish conservation management plans in consultation with relevant parties.
Attendance at Herpetofauna Workers Meeting and European Congress of Herpetology.

Year 3.5

Finalise writing of thesis.
Organise and run stakeholder workshop.
Establish conservation management strategy.

Training will be provided by the supervisory team, CASE partner, and free NEOF Training Workshops.