Nile crocodile
Background
Towards sustainable management of Nile crocodile in Madagascar:
Involving communities in the sustainable management of a dangerous but highly valuable and threatened species: the Nile crocodile
CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. Madagascar was among the first countries that signed and ratified the convention 1975. 1200 Malagasy species are listed in the CITES appendices and more than a hundred of them are actively traded and exported. Besides its rich and unique biodiversity, Madagascar is known to shelter a significant population of the endangered Nile crocodile. For many African countries, crocodile species is listed in the appendix I of the CITES convention and thereby all form of trade is banned. In Madagascar, following multiple cases of attack on human and the development of farming and ranching system, quotas on skin exports were allowed under tight conditions over reporting, tagging and good management practices.
Objectives
This project aims at (i) getting more precise information on the population and distribution of Nile crocodiles as well as the status of interactions between human-crocodile in crocodile-rich regions and (ii) bringing transparency and professionalism within the crocodile sector. The project delivery will feed the national database on crocodile and will be integrated in the national crocodile management plan.
Crocodylus niloticus, Madagascar
Project Data
- Executant: Tiana Ramahaleo
- Managing Office: WWF Madagascar and West Indian Ocean Programme Office
- Address:
WWF Madagascar and West Indian Ocean Programme Office
B.P. 738
Antananarivo 101
Madagascar
+261 20 22 348 85
Project description
Inventory activities along with socio-economic and cultural surveys will be carried out in order to capture the interactions between human and crocodile populations. Crocodiles have strong cultural meanings in Malagasy society and the survey will put some emphasis on identifying cultural elements that are in line with the long term management of these animals. Locally and internationally, crocodile skin is of high commercial value and if well managed, the crocodile sector may constitute opportunities to improve communities’ livelihoods and regional economies as a whole. For this purpose, the project intends to improve the mechanism of issuance of agreement for professional artisans and seeks to enhance the involvement of the latter in the management of this high value species.
Contact
-
Tiana Ramahaleo
Conservation Science/Species Programme Coordinator
WWF Madagascar and West Indian Ocean Programme Office,
Antananarivo+261 20 22 348 85
Achievements
A workshop gathering 26 professional artisans working on crocodile skins and parts was organized for their training on CITES rules and procedures.
The assessment of the crocodile population along the Mahavavy River achieved. In 15-day fieldwork, the only 35 individuals were recorded in the three sections of the river totalizing 39kms. Data on the size of crocodile were only available in 26 individuals, hereby showing that crocodile in this area are extremely scared by humans. The relative abundance of crocodile (ranging from 0.41 à 1.18 ind./km ) is seen to be closely related to the intensity of anthropogenic activities (mostly of agricultural nature) along the river with the least abundance (0.41) associated with the highest anthropogenic index (4.84 signs/km) and vice-versa. Conflicts between human-crocodile arise from the fact that there is more and more an overlapping of human settlement zone and crocodile habitats. In 2008 alone, 5 persons and more than 60 zebus were attacked. These resulted in the killing of 7 dangerous animals.
.The Magar crocodiles were very easy to spot between the common crocodiles,as they have very long, thin noses that have lots of very sharp teeth showing, and the male Magar crocodiles have big round bulbs on the end of their noses.
Challenges
For years, the crocodile sector has been hampered by lack of communication and transparency not only in the way eggs and wild specimens are collected but also in the mechanism of issuance of permits and agreements. This resulted in the proliferation of informal artisans and has wiped out trust between the national authority and formal artisans.
Up to now, no clear figure on the level of stock of crocodile in the wild is available. A precautionary quotas on wild crocodile has been set by the international CITES secretary but even in the case the amount of stock is known, the absence of concrete mechanism for the control and monitoring of the collecting of wild animals would still weaken this sector.
In order to improve the traceability and the quality of the products made of skins, all those involved in the different stages of the skin trade should be trained to meet international standards. Such enterprise will certainly be long and require considerable funding.
Up to now, no clear figure on the level of stock of crocodile in the wild is available. A precautionary quotas on wild crocodile has been set by the international CITES secretary but even in the case the amount of stock is known, the absence of concrete mechanism for the control and monitoring of the collecting of wild animals would still weaken this sector.
In order to improve the traceability and the quality of the products made of skins, all those involved in the different stages of the skin trade should be trained to meet international standards. Such enterprise will certainly be long and require considerable funding.