Applied Herpetology Aims and Scope

Aims

Applied Herpetology is an international journal addressing research on amphibians and reptiles in relation to humans and therefore focussing on natural products development, farming, ethnobiology, biodiversity and environmental monitoring, conservation and wildlife management. A main objective of the journal is to enhance communication between academic scientists and researchers in industry, governmental bodies, international agencies and others involved in applied research involving herpetofauna. The target audience includes:

• herpetologists
• agricultural scientists
• veterinarians
• pharmaceutical researchers
• toxinologists
• ecotoxicologists
• environmental scientists and managers
• ethnobiologists
• forensic scientists
• educationists
• biologists advising planners and policy makers

Applied Herpetology is covered by:

• Abstracts on Hygiene and Communicable Diseases
• Biological Abstracts
• BIOSIS Previews
• Forestry Abstracts
• Index Veterinarius
• Irrigation & Drainage Abstracts
• Journal Citation Reports (indexed from 2008, to be included from the 2010 version of JCR).
• Nutrition Abstracts and Reviews
• Soils & Fertilizers
• Veterinary Bulletin
• Weed Abstracts
• Zoological Record

Scope

Initially proposed at the 3rd World Congress of Herpetology (Prague, August 1997), applied herpetology was formally defined at a workshop of the 4th World Congress (Sri Lanka, December 2001) as those studies in herpetology that concern human interests (uses of amphibians and reptiles), or result from human interference. Such studies are increasingly important, since it is likely that in future little research funding will be available for herpetological work that is not applied. Among the subjects so far identified as applied herpetology and covered by the journal Applied Herpetology are:

1. Natural products development

   Amphibians and reptiles as a source of bioactive material - antibiotics, analgesics, diuretics and anticoagulants; toxinology (snake and lizard venoms) and pharmacology (amphibian skin secretions).

2. Farming

   Captive breeding and husbandry techniques to maintain stocks for teaching, exhibition, experimental purposes, food and other commodities (reptile leather industry; tortoiseshell), as well as for the restocking of wild populations; pathology and disease.

3. Ethnobiology

   Scientific (rather than purely cultural) aspects; comparative study of the uses of amphibians and reptiles by human societies; epidemiology of snake bite; attitudes and behaviour of humans towards amphibians and reptiles, in the wild and in captivity.

4. Environmental monitoring and ecotoxicology

   Amphibian teratological studies to monitor environmental health via incidence of abnormalities in populations; bioaccumulation of heavy metals and other pollutants such as pesticides in tissues of amphibians and reptiles, and species' use in turn as bioindicators of habitat contamination; residue loads as biomarkers of contaminant levels entering food chains; endocrine disruption from pollution.

5. Conservation and wildlife management

   Species protection and autecology; biodiversity assessment; use of species richness and assemblages as bioindicators of habitat quality and change; habitat management; establishment of faunal reserves; reintroduction and relocation, including genetic and veterinary aspects; invasions; extinction; sustainable utilization of economic species; management of pest species; biological control.

6. Legal and ethical aspects

   Welfare; conservation; international trade; introduced species; forensic investigations; use in education and research; humane treatment.