Triturus vulgaris in April.

Caras Gorges National Park in Romania’s Semenic Mountains has a total area of over 36,000ha lying in the south-western part of the Romanian Carpathians. Forests cover most of the surface but due to its extension and range, there is a great variety of other habitats. This area is home to a series of strictly protected reptile species but there is no viable administration or management scheme towards preserving these specie.

This project aims to assess these reptiles through detailed field survey and inventories of some target species. Special attention will be paid to a campaign raising conservation awareness of the local population about these existing reptiles. Special attention will be paid to Vipera ammodytes, a species that suffered severe habitat loss all over Europe in the past 100 years. It has a bad reputation and is considered very dangerous by both locals and tourists who often kill it on sight. All observations will be provided to the department that currently manages the National Park and will also be an example for other protected areas confronted with similar situations.