You can leave behind the concept that habitat disruption is a necessary precursor to species invasion. You may also dismiss the notion that native species don't adapt to changed environments. Those are both proved falsities. That makes human action upon the environment one variable affecting species establishment, but not the only one.

What am I getting at... This need not be a big picture issue, but you're trying to make it just that. It is often near impossible to effect change on a big picture (human degradation of Florida). One can, however, manage a subset of a big picture (humans furthering degradation by introducing competitive foreign species through the reptile trade). If that subset amounts to addressing the ramifications of unchecked distribution of imported monitor species in the general pet trade, this forum seems a reasonable place to do so.

Most people can’t change a big picture, but to dismiss all of its results, such as human-mediated species invasions, as expectable and thus acceptable seems to me almost as negligent as liberating a pet monitor. Apathy is a huge portion of the environmental problem in this (and every) country. How is dismissing human-mediated invasion by additional foreign species different than assisting it? Again, thanks. Ben

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