Public policy is a tricky thing. Certainly there are instances when protections for a species are helpful. On the other hand, like the drug trade, there have been plenty of cases where an animal being banned from trade causes the price to go up and attracts poachers from far and wide. There is a cruel logic to it: an official listing is public confirmation that a species is rare, and rarity is exactly what collectors pay for. A quick scroll down the Facebook feed of the group Illegal Trade in Amphibians and Reptiles shows post after post of thousands of turtles, frogs, lizards, snakes, and salamanders being confiscated by law enforcement.
This lesson is part of Certified Herpetological Guide. Enrollment is self-paced, with no deadline to finish (about 50 hours).
