IPB University Expert: Climate Change and Urbanization Increase the Likelihood of Snakes Entering Residential Areas
Climate change and land use conversion have the potential to increase the frequency of encounters between snakes and humans. This situation arises due to changes in temperature and rainfall, the loss of natural habitats, and shifts in food sources, which drive snakes to move into areas closer to human activity.
Prof Mirza Dikari Kusrini, a lecturer in the Department of Forest Resource Conservation and Ecotourism, Faculty of Forestry and Environment (Fahutan) at IPB University, explained that climate change affects snakes’ behavior, distribution, and movement patterns.
“As ectothermic animals, snakes are highly dependent on environmental conditions to regulate their body temperature. Rising average temperatures can alter snakes’ daily and seasonal activity patterns, including hunting times, reproduction, and habitat use,” she said.
According to Prof Mirza, who is also a wildlife ecology expert, changes in rainfall patterns, floods, prolonged droughts, and extreme weather events can also degrade the quality of natural habitats. As a result, snakes seek alternative locations that still provide shelter and food sources.
Human settlements often become targets because they provide rats, chickens, ponds, drainage channels, and various shelters. Additionally, when prey populations such as rodents and amphibians shift due to environmental changes, snakes tend to follow the distribution of their prey.
Cobras and Pythons Pose a Threat
Prof Mirza stated that the phenomenon of snake habitat shifts is highly likely to occur in Indonesia. Rising temperatures and changes in rainfall patterns are expected to affect the distribution of several snake species, particularly those living in agricultural areas and the outskirts of settlements.
“Snakes commonly found in agricultural landscapes and residential outskirts such as cobras, welang snakes, and weling snakes, whose diet consists of rodents, have the potential to move into residential areas and increase the risk of human encounters,” she explained.
She added that land use conversion and habitat fragmentation are often more direct factors than climate change in increasing human snake interactions. The loss of natural habitats forces snakes to seek shelter, mates, or food sources in areas close to humans.
To reduce the risk of conflicts and snake bites, Prof Mirza urged the public to maintain environmental cleanliness, control rodent populations, seal building gaps, and avoid attempting to capture or kill snakes without proper training.
“The ideal mitigation strategy is not to eliminate snakes from the environment, but to reduce the risk of dangerous interactions while preserving their ecological functions,” she said.
She emphasized that snakes are important predators that help control rat populations and maintain ecosystem balance. The government also needs to strengthen wildlife conflict response systems, enhance healthcare workers’ capacity in treating snake bites, and promote research and development of antivenoms and Venom Detection Kits (VDK) to aid in identifying snake venom types and improve the effectiveness of bite treatment. Additionally, habitats and ecological corridors need to be protected to reduce wildlife migration into residential areas. (Fj) (IAAS/WSG)
