The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

REP TILE AWARENSS DAY: 23 OCTOBER .

Reptiles are coldblooded vertebrates. They have dry skin covered with scales or bony plates and usually lay softshelled eggs and they have successfully colonized most of the planet, including the oceans and some of the harshest and more environmentally unstable ecosystems on earth. Reptiles offer to the Environment Reptiles form a paraphyletic group with significant roles for human society, including species that are considered important for food, medicinal and mystical use and as pets. Reptiles in the tropics are important in ecological processes, and they play important role in ecosystem function through gene dispersal, nutrient cycling, trophic action, and ecosystem engineering. Tortoise and turtles are proficuous seed dispersers. Article by: Theophelous Mutakuramombe. Why Reptiles are being neglected from conservation programs Unpopular and aversive some of the repitiles are often pursued and indiscriminately killed in many locations. The feeling of aversion can be triggered by many factors like disgust, fear and/ or cultural aspects. Some are venomous such as snakes and snake bites may cause human deaths, consequently instilling fear in people. Further, these animals are the targets of many negative symbolisms which contribute to the creation of negative conservation perspectives in some people. Moreover, human-reptile conflict is a usual problem for every city and rural landscapes on the tropics. There, anacondas, pythons and crocodilians threaten human lives and livestock.

REPTILE AND THEIR THREATS Reptiles face six significant threats on a global scale: habitat loss and degradation, introduced invasive species, pollution, disease, unsustainable use and climate change. Nearly 20% of species of reptiles are threatened with extinction. Climate change poses a serious threat to reptile populations of reptiles and their physiological performance, which is closely linked to their vulnerability to extinction. One of the most direct and predictable effects of climate change is an increase in mean air temperature which has also been clearly identified as a major threat to reptiles.

How best can we spread the conservation awareness of Reptiles

A. Increase information spreading about Pleistocene-Holocene reptile extinctions using popular media; B. Increase research effort on anthropogenic reptile extinctions and their potential to predict future losses; C. Address the potentially present or lost ecosystem effects of extant and extinct reptile species. D. Donating towards the Reptile conservation program E. Visiting the nearest national park