Distribution and conservation problems of the Vipers in the western and central part of the Balkans

Jelić Dušan; State Institute for Nature Protection, Trg Mažuranića 5, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia; dusan.jelic@dzzp.hr
Ajtić Rastko; Institute for Nature Conservation of Serbia, Dr Ivana Ribara 91, 11070 Belgrade, Serbia; rastko@zzps.rs
Sterijovski Bogoljub; Macedonian Ecological Society - herpetology group, Blvd. "Kuzman Josifovski - Pitu" 28/3-7 1000 Skopje, Macedonia sterijovski@yahoo.ca
Crnobrnja-Isajlović Jelka; Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Niš, Višegradska 33, 18000 Niš, Serbia; jelka.c.i@gmail.com
Lelo Suvad; Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Mathematics, Zmaja od Bosne 35, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina; suvadlelo@yahoo.com
Tomović Ljiljana Institute of Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Studentski trg 16, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; lili@bio.bg.ac.rs

Puni tekst:
(Engleski)

Tip članka:
Kongresni sažetak

Sažetak:

Balkan Peninsula is generally recognized as one of the hot-spots of European biodiversity. Vipers also display high subspecific diversity at the Balkans, with two subspecies of adder (V. b. berus and V. b. bosniensis), two subspecies of meadow viper (V. u. macrops and V. u. graeca) and at least three subspecies of nose-horned viper (V. a. ammodytes, V. a. montandoni and V. a. meridionalis).

Vipers are poisonous, viviparous, secretive and sedentary snakes. These characteristics make them less attractive for faunistical and ecological studies, at least in the Balkans. This could be one of the main reasons that only their general distribution is known. The available atlases and red data books provide no precise data about distribution, conservation status and threats of viper species in the Balkans with many "blanc regions"; existing records are mostly from old literature and unconfirmed recently. Implicitly, conservation measures, priorities and strategies could not be established without precise faunistic data.

For Vipera ursinii, the highly endangered viper species, only general distribution at the Balkans is known. For V. berus, e.g. species with extremely wide distribution, little more than historical records exist. And finally, for a "major Balkan" species (V. ammodytes), there are more distribution records from e.g. Austria, Slovenia and Italy than from the main part of its distribution range (Balkans).

The three Vipers share several conservation problems at the Balkans - lack of systematic study and public interest, "historical and political burdens", lack of knowledge, superstitions and fear of people, spreading of human settlements, habitat destruction, illegal collection, as well as lack of adequate (or none) legislation in different countries.

We present here more complete and novel data about distribution of the Vipers in Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Macedonia, as well as more precise information about particular conservation problems and propose conservation priorities and measures for each Viper species in each country at the western and central Balkans.

Ključne riječi:
Balkans, Vipers, distribution, conservation