Kandy, Sri Lanka – The island nation’s cultural capital will welcome more than 400 delegates from 25 countries for the inaugural World Congress on Snakes, running October 1 to 4, 2026, at the Grand Kandyan Hotel. This marks the first international conference devoted solely to snake biology, conservation, and the public health challenges posed by snakebite envenomation. Sri Lanka’s selection as host reflects its exceptional reptilian diversity, with 112 snake species recorded, more than 63 of them found nowhere else. ([1])
A Dedicated Platform After Years on the Margins
Snake research has long been folded into broader herpetology meetings, where it competed for attention with topics on lizards, turtles, and amphibians. The new congress creates a standalone forum that allows specialists to focus exclusively on snakes and the issues that affect them. Organizers expect more than 300 international scientists, ophiologists, and medical experts to join over 100 local researchers for four days of presentations and discussions. The event responds to two intertwined pressures: the need to understand and protect snake populations amid habitat loss and the urgent global problem of snakebite, which remains a significant cause of death and disability in many regions. By bringing these threads together, the congress aims to advance both ecological knowledge and practical health responses.
Sri Lanka’s Unique Role in Global Snake Science
The country’s snake fauna stands out for its high level of endemism. More than half of its species occur only on the island, creating natural laboratories for studies of evolution, adaptation, and conservation. This biological richness helped persuade organizers that Kandy offered the right setting for the first dedicated gathering. Local expertise has grown steadily over decades, yet many researchers previously lacked a single international venue to share findings with peers working on similar questions elsewhere. The congress is intended to strengthen those connections and position Sri Lanka as a central hub for future work.
Leadership and Expectations
Anslem de Silva, the congress chairperson and a leading figure in herpetology, described the meeting as one that “establishes Sri Lanka as the epicenter of global snake research and conservation policy.” His statement underscores the shift from scattered sessions at larger conferences to a focused, high-level exchange. Attendance figures point to broad interest: more than 500 participants are anticipated once final registrations close. Sessions will cover snake evolution, ecology, and the medical dimensions of envenomation, with the goal of producing clearer research priorities and policy recommendations.
Looking Ahead
The four-day program in Kandy represents a deliberate step toward treating snakes as a distinct field of study rather than a subset of other disciplines. Whether the congress leads to new collaborative projects or improved strategies for reducing snakebite harm will become clearer in the months that follow. For now, the gathering itself signals that snake research has reached a point where its own global forum is both feasible and necessary.
