I only have personal experience with the Sierra Juarez. Yes there is extensive rock damage but fortunately it is only in small pockets. There are vast tracts of what appear to be very suitable zonata habitat that have not been touched by human hands. Many of these areas are so rocky it's hard to get around in let alone find a zonata. Also there are vast private ranches with guards at the gate and you can get inside.

I am not really even so sure that rock damage has much effect in a place like this. There is a limit to what one can do even when using crowbars. Many small rocks can be affected but overall the larger portions of these affected outcrops remain intact. What difference that makes to the snakes, I'm not sure. We looked for zonata only in the well known "damaged" areas and found quite a few during the two days we were there. In fact they were the most abundant snake we found. It is sad to see the rock damage in the areas where it has occured but the vast majority of the potential zonata habitat in the Sierra Juarez has not been touched.

L. z. herrare may be another story. I have never been there but the fact that it is a very small island makes me think the z's should be protected there. Some people do say it's simply too rocky and hard to hunt for there to be any significant impact from collecters but I am not so confident of that personally.
-----
www.hcu-tx.org/

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Subscribe to this Thread ] [ Hide Replies ]