Although beloved outside the region, where environmental organizations have raised countless dollars in the hope of saving them, Mudkip are despised as pests by Hoenn's miners and spelunkers, who have driven them to the edge of extinction. This is because of their habit of moving around boulders with their strong fins, occasionally for a game of catch, but far more often to seal off caverns and find a safe resting place for the night.
Many miners in Hoenn still carry pokemon capable of using strength for their own safety, but before the invention of that Hidden Machine, many could be trapped for days, weeks, or even the rest of their shortened lives. Similarly, although the maps of areas like Mount Moon and Mount Coronet are extremely reliable, Mount Pyre has historically been avoided by Hikers because the Mudkip population left it extremely hard to navigate, requiring remapping on a monthly basis. Although as the population has dwindled it has become possible to rely on old maps, Hikers still fear to venture there because of its historical reputation.
In Hoenn, even environmental organizations use more exotic pokemon on their logo to avoid controversy, and the only people who like Mudkip are the few who worship Rayquaza and wish for a lasting peace in Hoenn's eternal war. They see in their water and ground typing and amphibious nature proof of the legend that Groudon and Kyogre once worked together to create a pokemon, so they hold up Mudkip as a symbol of the hope that Hoenn can someday find peace. And then, if their dream is to be believed, the earth and sea shall live in harmony.
