ARRS strongly believes that any conservation effort should be backed by robust science. Since very little is known about what remains of rainforests of the Western Ghats, ARRS has initiated projects and studies on the biodiversity of the area. One of the first major research steps was to study the ecology of the king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah), the longest venomous snake in the world. In 2008 ARRS began the first ever radio telemetry study on king cobras with two translocated snakes. In the second phase the study included two non-translocated snakes in 2009. Over the last 5 years we have made over 100 rescues, found and monitored15 nests and documented hitherto unknown facets of king cobra behavior in the wild.

Several of the ongoing and proposed ARRS projects listed below will contribute to our understanding and hence the conservation of the rich biodiversity of the Agumbe rainforest:

• Agumbe biodiversity databas
• Ecology of the flying lizard(Draco dussumieri)
• Amphibian identification and population dynamics
• Canopy studies
• Socio economic studies
• Climate change research/meteorological monitoring via an automatic weather station
• Stream and river ecology
• Polymorphism in Malabar pit vipers (Trimeresurus malabaricus)
• Studies on medicinal plants
• Mark-recapture studies of reptiles
• Training and education