The Project

The European Union’s Erasmus+ programme is a funding scheme to support activities in the fields of Education, Training, Youth and Sport.

The Programme is made up of three so-called “Key Actions” and two additional actions.

The TakeOff Project is part of the key action 2: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices.

The European Commission is responsible for Erasmus+ policies and oversees the overall programme implementation. 

More Information

Herpetofauna (reptile and amphibian) species are currently one of the most endangered groups worldwide, with their numbers on the decline due to both climate change and a series of human-related threats such as persecution, pollution, and habitat fragmentation. 

Herps are in need of a sensitive thermic equilibrium and they use both heat and cold from external sources (e.g. sun or shade) to achieve this. Climate change will force them to either adapt their daily activity, given their current habitats offer this resilience, or flee to higher altitudes, an option not possible in small islands such as Malta or Cyprus.

In addition, most people are unaware of their importance to the environment and are not even capable of distinguishing them. Not being able to identify reptiles and most importantly venomous from non-venomous snakes leads to ophidiophobia (an irrational fear of all snakes), even for the harmless species, that in turn leads towards unnecessary persecution.

Lastly, uncontrolled development with the continuously expanding cities and road networks, and the intensification of agriculture, is irreversibly degrading and fragmenting important habitats of herp species. Targeted conservation actions are urgently needed to protect the most threatened herp species. 

Luckily, those conservation actions are not necessarily large or expensive. Even a small rock pile on the side of a field, or a small artificial pond offering refugee and water respectively, can make a huge difference, improving biodiversity’s resilience (including herps) to both climate- and human-induced threats. 

Τhis project, identifying the above problems, aims to contribute to improving biodiversity’s resilience, by nursing and promoting positive Human-Herpetofauna Interactions (HHI) through herpetofauna-related adult education to citizens and VET. Professionals who live and work in nature (e.g. farmers, shepherds, hunters), and are in contact with herpetofauna species on a regular basis, are the real countryside managers and can actually make a difference, safeguarding herps and the rest of biodiversity. 

- Produce an e-learning course about Human-Herpetofauna Interactions (HHI) - Activity 1

- Develop an interactive online tool that will allow countryside managers to be constantly updated on herpetofauna of their area and also contribute themselves through a citizen science platform - Activity 2

- Produce a replicability e-package for education & training activities related to HHI - Activity 3

- Interact with the target groups and increase output uptake by implementing 2 multiplier events, in Cyprus and Malta - Activities 4,5.

Through the objectives, the HerpTrust project will allow VET providers to build education and training activities related to HHI. Activity 1 will promote positive HHI through educational courses while activity 2 will give stakeholders the opportunity to engage in HHI using a web tool. The replicability e-package created during activity 3 will support positive HHI through a collection of additional resources and material. Activities 1-3 will be implemented in both Malta and Cyprus, and will be further promoted through two local Multiplier events.