Snake Conservation
And Threats Faced By Rainforest Snakes
Snake conservation will probably be most effective if done in conjunction with policies targeting rainforest wildlife conservation in general.
I can summarise threats to rainforest snakes’ existence (read about from different sources) as follows:
- Logging / Deforestation
- Fear-related killings on sight
- Snake pet trade
- Snake skin trade
- Use of snakes’ meat for food
- Use of snake venom for medicinal purposes
Out of all of them, logging / deforestation / habitat destruction is probably one of the most serious ones, as is the case with many other rainforest animals.
There is not enough data on the long-term effects of logging on the reptile populations of rainforests (1) and that is why we cannot draw definite conclusions.
But some things are more or less clear to everyone. For example, selective logging (removing only several trees and leaving the rest intact) probably has a weaker impact on the life of forest reptiles than complete deforestation which leads to an elimination of reptile populations from the affected areas.
Some recommendations for minimizing negative effects of logging on reptile populations of rainforests (2)
Since preservation of endangered snakes' habitats (that is, rainforests in our case) is an important part of conservation of these reptiles, below are some recommendations on minimizing the negative logging effects on reptile populations:
- Protect interior forest conditions (maintain as much of the intact canopy as possible – this will ensure moist, shady conditions required by many reptiles)
- Minimise incidental damage during selective logging (reduce the size of gaps and the number of other trees killed in the process)
- Avoid soil compaction (this will affect the reptiles spending long periods of time underground)
- Maintain interior forest connectivity (this will allow the exchange of reptile species between forest fragments)
- Minimise negative edge effects (by, for example, establishing a tree plantation at the edge of the natural forest)
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