Reptiles needed protection

By Kenneth Nussear, Reno

Friday, Sept. 29, 2017 | 2 a.m.

I appreciate the recent coverage you have given to the issue of commercial collection of reptiles in Nevada. I am a herpetologist, researcher and professor at UNR, and I support a ban on this practice.

Nevada has one of the most significant levels of herpetological biodiversity in the Western United States. These snakes and lizards are an important part of the desert food web, consuming insects and other invertebrates while acting as prey for mid- to upper-level predators. They are an integral part of Nevada’s vibrant desert ecosystems.

The Nevada Department of Wildlife has presented compelling analyses that over the past 30 years commercial collection has resulted in the loss of nearly half a million reptiles from Nevada’s public lands.

These data also indicate that reptile density may be declining in places that are heavily collected, resulting in impacts from collecting spreading to previous unexploited areas. My independent analyses indicate these declines do not appear to be due to reduced effort, but rather reduced capture rates for these species, indicating widespread declines in our reptile populations.

Nevada is the only state in the Western U.S. to permit commercial collection, making it an outlier in managing its wildlife resources — and until recently was the only state providing species to world reptile markets. In light of the unique reptile community in Nevada and the indication that commercial collection may be impacting population levels, I applaud the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners for banning the practice of commercial collection of reptiles.