Unfortunately there are very good reasons for these regulations due to individual irresponsibility. An escape or deliberate release from one subspecies which gets into the wild genepool can have huge implications for conservation of the native stock. This has happened in the UK with some populations of the Great Crested Newt, where Continental subspecies maintained by hobbyists have, through idiocy, incompetence or whatever, managed to escape and interbreed with wild stock. These populations no longer qualify for protection due to this genetic pollution, and so the areas in which they live also lose protection from development, which leaves many other species that shared the same habitat also vulnerable. The fools who triggered this were maintaining the Newts in outside vivaria, as if Triturus are incapable of climbing...
There have been similar problems caused by escaped Alpine and Marbled Newts, each of which can potentially hybridise with UK species. So who is the cause of such legislation, over-zealous authorities or people more interested in indulging some perception of their own liberty without accepting the responsibility involved?
Also, if we look at Salamandra, this prevents anyone keeping threatened native subspecies (possibly illegally collected form the wild) and trying to claim that they are in fact from somewhere else. The alternative would involve costly and protracted investigations to prove their origin which act as a drain on already scarce resources. Cases have been known where people collected wild stock from threatened populations because with unbelieveable arrogance they felt that they alone 'knew better' than existing conservation efforts. When looked at further some of these individuals have proved to have been rejected by conservation bodies because they show no interest in following the guidelines. The real shame is, some of these individuals undoubtedly had valuable husbandry skills, but purely because of their own inability to work in a team they were too much of a liability.
I'm sure that if anyone was dedicated enough to go through the appropriate procedures they would be able to take part in captive breeding efforts for any particular species, but they would have to observe the protocols set down.
Pete.
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