Conservation Through Collaboration: Building a Collective Future for Snake Conservation
Snakes are among the most misunderstood animals in India. Despite their ecological importance, fear, misinformation and conflict continue to shape how people interact with them. Meanwhile, those working to protect snakes face their own challenges: gaps in scientific data, inconsistent rescue practices, limited funding and conservation efforts that often happen in isolation.
What if these efforts could be brought together?
This question lies at the heart of the Snake Conservation Coalition – Western Ghats (SCC-WG), an emerging collective working to strengthen snake conservation through shared knowledge, coordinated action and collaboration across disciplines.
On 2 October 2026, members of the coalition came together at the World Congress on Snakes in Kandy, Sri Lanka, for a session titled Conservation Through Collaboration. Moderated by Gerard Martin of The Liana Trust, the panel featured Brinda Upadhyaya of Upadhyaya Foundation, Sumanth Bindumadhav of Humane World for Animals India, Kedar Bhide of Nature Works, Jose Louies of Wildlife Trust of India and Gnaneswar Ch. of Madras Crocodile Bank Trust/Centre for Herpetology.
The conversation went beyond why collaboration matters to explore the opportunities, challenges and practical realities of making it work.
Many voices, one shared message
One of the clearest takeaways was that bringing organisations together is only the beginning. The real work lies in finding common ground.
Sumanth Bindumadhav pointed out that even organisations working towards similar goals can have different definitions and approaches to snake capture, rescue and rehabilitation. These differences become particularly challenging when engaging with forest departments or advocating for policy changes. A coalition offers an opportunity to build consensus and present scientifically grounded recommendations with a stronger, unified voice.
For Kedar Bhide, this common voice is equally important in the public sphere. Misinformation about snakes spreads rapidly online, often overshadowing credible scientific information. By developing consistent, accessible communication, the coalition can help challenge harmful narratives and encourage more informed responses to snakes.
Jose Louies highlighted how this alignment could translate into action. From standardising rescue practices to conducting awareness workshops for government agencies, the coalition has the potential to develop approaches that can be adopted across the Western Ghats and eventually serve as models elsewhere.
From research to real-world impact
How do we ensure that scientific knowledge translates into better conservation outcomes?
The coalition has already taken an important step through an IUCN Red List assessment workshop, which examined available information on snake species in the Western Ghats and identified threats and knowledge gaps.
Gerard Martin encouraged the audience to imagine what coordinated research could make possible. Rather than individual organisations collecting data in isolation, what if researchers across the Western Ghats contributed to standardised studies covering the entire landscape?
Such collaboration could help build a stronger scientific foundation for conservation planning.
The panellists also acknowledged a persistent challenge: research does not automatically translate into policy. Scientific findings must be communicated in ways that government agencies can understand and implement.
The coalition therefore hopes to connect research, field experience and policy engagement, ensuring that conservation priorities are informed by evidence rather than assumptions or reactive interventions.
Making room for more voices
If collaboration is to succeed, who needs to be part of the conversation?
Gnaneswar Ch emphasised the importance of bringing younger practitioners and grassroots organisations into the coalition. Beyond offering visibility, the coalition can become a space for sharing knowledge, learning from one another and building the capacity of organisations working on the ground.
But collaboration also requires clarity. With multiple organisations involved, defining responsibilities, coordinating activities and avoiding duplication will be essential to making the collective effective.
Brinda Upadhyaya brought the discussion back to the people whose attitudes towards snakes need to change. She spoke about engaging younger generations and building greater appreciation for these much-maligned animals, while recognising that the coalition's strength comes from the years of experience and commitment its members bring.
The audience also challenged the coalition to think about diversity and representation. Gerard Martin acknowledged the need for more women and a broader range of perspectives within the snake conservation community. He emphasised that solutions must be shaped in conversation with people working at the grassroots, rather than developed in isolation.
Building for the long term
Ambition alone cannot sustain conservation. It also needs resources, relationships and patience.
Brinda highlighted the importance of bringing more funders into snake conservation, an area that has historically received limited philanthropic attention. Connecting conservation with human health, particularly snakebite prevention, could help broaden the conversation and attract support for research, community engagement and capacity-building.
The discussion also raised questions about the coalition's future. How will new members join? Which conservation challenges should take priority? Could the Western Ghats model eventually be replicated in other ecological regions?
The panellists did not claim to have all the answers. SCC-WG is still developing its structures, defining its priorities and learning how its members can work most effectively together.
That openness may be one of its greatest strengths.
The session offered a reminder that collaboration is not simply about bringing people into the same room. It is about building trust, navigating differences, sharing expertise and committing to a common purpose.
For SCC-WG, the journey is just beginning. But the possibility is significant: a conservation approach in which scientific research, community knowledge, humane practices, policy engagement and philanthropy reinforce one another, creating something greater than what any organisation could achieve alone.
Learn more about the Snake Conservation Coalition – Western Ghats: https://www.snakeconservationcoalition.org/
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