Adders are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
It is an offence to kill, harm or injure them
sell or trade them in any way
I'll have to look it up and see what is covered there.. I do know that when I was starting out, it was something I was always told ie not to even think about trying to get one.
The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
The
Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981(
WCA 1981) consolidates and amends existing national legislation to implement the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention) and Council Directive 79/409/EEC on the Conservation of Wild Birds (Birds Directive) in Great Britain
1 . It is complimented by the Wildlife and Countryside (Service of Notices) Act 1985, which relates to notices served under the 1981 Act, and the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 (as amended)
2 , which implement Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (EC Habitats Directive). The Act received royal assent on 30 October 1981 and was brought into force in incremental steps. Amendments to the Act have occurred, the most recent being the
Countryside and Rights of Way (CRoW) Act 2000 (in England and Wales) and the
Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 (in Scotland). There is also a
statutory five-yearly review of Schedules 5 and 8 (protected wild animals and plant respectively), undertaken by the country agencies and co-ordinated by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Containing four Parts and 17 Schedules, the Act covers protection of wildlife (birds, and some animals and plants), the countryside, National Parks, and the designation of protected areas, and public rights of way.
Wildlife
The Act makes it an offence (with exception to species listed in Schedule 2) to intentionally kill, injure, or take any wild bird or their eggs or nests. Special penalties are available for offences related to birds listed on Schedule 1, for which there are additional offences of disturbing these birds at their nests, or their dependent young. The Secretary of State may also designate Areas of Special Protection (subject to exceptions) to provide further protection to birds. The Act also prohibits certain methods of killing, injuring, or taking birds, restricts the sale and possession of captive bred birds, and sets standards for keeping birds in captivity.
The Act makes it an offence (subject to exceptions) to intentionally kill, injure, or take, possess, or trade in any wild animal listed in Schedule 5, and prohibits interference with places used for shelter or protection, or intentionally disturbing animals occupying such places. The Act also prohibits certain methods of killing, injuring, or taking wild animals.
The Act makes it an offence (subject to exceptions) to pick, uproot, trade in, or possess (for the purposes of trade) any wild plant listed in
Schedule 8, and prohibits the unauthorised intentional uprooting of such plants.
The Act contains measures for preventing the establishment of non-native species which may be detrimental to native wildlife, prohibiting the release of animals and planting of plants listed in Schedule 9. It also provides a mechanism making any of the above offences legal through the granting of licences by the appropriate authorities.
Nature Conservation, Countryside and National Parks
The Act provides for the notification of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) – areas of special scientific interest by reason of their flora, fauna, or geological or physiographical features – by the country agencies. A notification must be served to the relevant local planning authority, all land owners and occupiers, and the Secretary of State, specifying the time period within which representations and objections may be made. The country agencies must consider these responses and may withdraw or confirm the notification, with or without amendment. The Act also contains measures for the protection and management of SSSIs. The Act provides for the making of Limestone Pavement Orders, which prohibit the disturbance and removal of limestone from such designated areas, and the designation of Marine Nature Reserves, for which byelaws must be made to protect them.
The Act prohibits the undertaking of agricultural or forestry operations on land within National Parks which has been either moor or heath for 20 years, without consent from the relevant planning authority. Planning authorities are also required to make available to the public up to date maps of moor and heath land within National Parks, which are important for the conservation of natural beauty.
Public Rights of Way
The Act requires surveying authorities to maintain up to date definitive maps and statements, for the purpose of clarifying public rights of way. The Act also includes provisions for traffic regulation, ploughing, appointing wardens, signposting, and prohibiting the keeping of bulls on land crossed by public rights of way.
1Equivalent provisions for Northern Ireland are contained within the
Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 and the
Nature Conservation and Amenity Lands (Northern Ireland) Order 1985.
2Equivalent provisions for Northern Ireland are contained within the
Conservation (Natural Habitats, etc.) Regulations 1995(as amended).
