Guwahati city harbours at least 59 including 8 vulnerable and 11 near threatened (Purkayastha et al. in press) species of herpetofauna. Unfortunately most of the residents of the city are unaware regarding herpetofauna. Moreover superstition prevailing among masses concerning these animals is rather in the way of their conservation. Various threats such habitat destruction, habitat fragmentation, lack of breeding places, road kills etc. exist as expected in an urbanised surrounding but most importantly lack of people’s interest in these animals is making the situation worse.

This project aims to generate interest and deliver knowledge mainly to school students regarding herpetofauna by organising field trips, interaction with expert and other such activities. A pictorial guide showcasing the herpetofaunal diversity will be published. Through this work youth will see and know of these beautiful creatures and their importance for a balanced ecosystem. Many superstations associated with these animals will be addressed which are acting in the way of conservation. Petition will be handed over by the students to the concerned government and town planning authorities to save those spots in the city which are rich in herpetofauna. Students will get insight into preliminary identification of these animals leading to formation of an extended database of herpetofauna. Also we would like to take this project as a starting point for assessment of the impact of urbanisation on resident herpetofauna and estimate species specific tolerance to urbanisation.

Through this project we will also address the issue of snake bite management. As from my personal experience I found that in case of a snake bite people favour the traditional medicine more than going to healthcare centre. The situation is made worse as health care centres in the region are themselves ill equipped for handling snake bite issues, thus this important but ignored issue will also be addressed.