Kenya made a successful proposal to transfer its population of C. niloticus from Appendix I to Appendix II for ranching purposes. No indication of how often this is complied with, however.
Provide Details of resource rights regime where relevant
In the Tana River County, in the Kenyan Coastal region, a crocodile ‘ranching” programme has been established.
Local people (e.g., individuals, communities, co-operatives)
National / local private sector
If more than one box ticked, please provide more details
Community members collect eggs and sell them to one of three companies that hatch and rear them. Other community members are employed in crocodile ranches and mostly work as hatchling attendants in addition to other office functions.
Is the use part of a strategy to generate conservation incentives, to finance conservation, or to improve tolerance/stewardship?
Yes
Is there evidence that the use is affecting the conservation status of the species? HIDE
Unknown/not recorded
Is there evidence that the use is affecting natural selection?
Unknown/not recorded
Is there evidence that the use is affecting poaching of illegal wildlife trade?
Yes, positive (use is helping combat poaching or illegal wildlife trade)
Before the ranching programme, communities gained no benefits from crocodiles – only danger and harm. Poisoning and retaliatory killing of crocodiles were therefore well known. This limited and regulated harvest incentivizes people to tolerate and support crocodile populations rather than killing them in retaliation for human-wildlife conflict – there is now little or no poisoning of crocodiles in this area.
Is there any evidence that this use of the species is having a knock-on effect on the status of non-target species
Unknown/not recorded
Yes, positive (e.g., it increases / retains land area for conservation)
No assessment has been recorded
Additional Details (if available)
Increased use of alternative livelihood options (i.e. other than crocodile ranching) – livestock and agriculture – would result in increased use of river resources in this scarce water country, and increased pollution.
Has a valuation of financial flows from this use at the site/national/international level been recorded
Crocodile enterprises have boosted food and health care. One crocodile farm (Kazuri London Crocodile Farm) has partnered with World Food Bank, an NGO. After slaughtering the crocodiles, they donate the meat to the NGO, which processes it as packed lunches and gives it for free to students in schools. The maternity clinic is a key asset.
Physical capital has been built through companies providing a range of important assets and facilities to the communities, including a solar lights
Physical capital has been built through companies providing a range of important assets and facilities to the communities, including a maternity clinic
Communities have also benefited individually in terms of skills and capacities, through training of egg collectors in collection methods that increase hatchability, in animal husbandry, in management, and/or customer service. Some employees have been sponsored by the farms to attend conferences to learn relevant approaches.
Before the ranching programme, communities gained no benefits from crocodiles – only danger and harm. Poisoning and retaliatory killing of crocodiles were therefore well known. This limited and regulated harvest incentivizes people to tolerate and support crocodile populations rather than killing them in retaliation for human-wildlife conflict – there is now little or no poisoning of crocodiles in this area.
Has any assessment of socio-economic sustainability been recorded
No assessment recorded
Has the use of the species been recorded as resulting in changes to human health in this record?
Yes, recorded as positive
Has the species in use been noted as being of particular disease risk to humans?
Unknown/not recorded
Has the use of the species resulted in changes to animal welfare in this record?
Unknown/not recorded
Are there particular practices which have increased the risk to human or animal health or welfare in the use of this species?
Unknown/not recorded
Does the use of this species increase susceptibility to pathogen spread?
Unknown/not recorded
Previously, women often used to die during delivery or on the way to hospital which was very far away. Once the clinic was built, with funds from the crocodile
companies, the county government then established a dispensary and employed medical practitioners. The facility has incorporated the use of traditional birth attendants, takes women for delivery to hospital, and offers follows-ups on the babies and mothers after delivery. It has employed additional support staff from the local community. This clinic now delivers 10-15 babies per month, sees 40-60 patients in the antenatal clinic per month, sees 20-30 outpatients per day, and carries out pre-referral treatment for emergency cases.
Unknown/not recorded
Strong community governance/institutions/rights for wildlife management
Absent
Supportive policy and legislative framework
Absent
Adequate capacity to implement and enforce governance arrangements
Absent
Good alignment of legal protections with local cultural values and traditional
Absent
Support from NGOs
Absent
Support from Government
Absent
High financial returns from use
Absent
Abundant population of target species
Absent
Biological characteristics of target species
Absent
Capacity building of community
Absent
Establishment and implementation of species and/or area management plan
Absent
Effective private sector approach engagement through certification
CITES (2019) CITES & Livelihoods Case Study 2019: Harvest and ranching of Nile crocodiles in Kenya.
In the Tana River County, in the Kenyan Coastal region, a crocodile ‘ranching” programme has been established. This is a crocodile conflict hotspot, and the ranching programme was established to help reduce conflict
How many people or households are involved in the use?
Income is one of the most important benefits and motivations for the community. One hundred egg collectors are employed by the three crocodile farming companies, in a region that has very few other employment options
Is there any gender/age specificity in the various roles
Yes
While women are not involved in egg collection, they are engaged in other areas and account for 15% of the Nile Crocodile Limited Ranch workforce, 16% in Galaxy Crocodile Farm Co. Ltd and almost 50% of the permanent staff in the Kazuri London Crocodile Farm.
How many of these local jobs accure to the following categories?
How many people outside the local area are employed
Is there any evidence of other economic benefits associated with this use beyond direct income and jobs