A. Species
Scientific name: Crocodylus niloticus
Common name(s): Nile crocodile, Mamba
Global IUCN Red List Threat Status: Least Concern
B. Location of use
Geographic location(s):
- Kenya
Country/Region:
C. Scale of assessment
Scale of assessment: National Level
Name/Details of location: Principally harvesting from the Tana River.
D. Timescale of use
Start Year: 2002
End Year: 2007
E. Information about the use
How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat
Type of use: Extractive
Practice of use: Ranching, farming or cultivation or wild species
Lethal or non-lethal: Non-Lethal
Does this use involve take/extraction of: Only parts or products of the organism
Purpose(s) of end use: Food and feed, Decorative and aesthetic and Leather
Motivation of use: Largescale commercial exploitation for trade
Is this use legal or illegal?: Legal under national law
F. Information about the Users
Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: Local people and National / local private sector
G. Information about the sustainability of use
Is there evidence that the use is having an impact on the target species?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an ecological perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable
Details of assessment carried out: This NDF Case study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Nile crocodile populations are considered healthy in Kenya and are inferred to be increasing in numbers based on reports from the communities in these areas. The species habitat range has however shrunk as a result of encroachment by human activities resulting from increases in the human population.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable
Details of assessment carried out: This NDF Case study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Local people are paid Ksh.10 (USD 0.07) per egg collected plus a bonus of up to a maximum Ksh.25 (USD 0.17) on hatching as an incentive. Overall, community crocodile egg collection programme has helped to turn the human crocodile conflict problem into a sustainable socio-ecological and economic opportunity, which supports conservation of the resource.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable
Details of assessment carried out: This NDF Case study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Aside from providing sustainable jobs to local people and egg harvesters, crocodile ranching also provides meat for food that is utilized locally and sold through outlets authorized and regulated by the Management authority.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a human health perspective been recorded?: not recorded
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an animal health/welfare perspective been recorded?: No, sustainability not determined
Details of assessment carried out: This NDF Case study.
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: On average, 51% of eggs collected hatch, implying a 49% hatching mortality on ranches.
Recommendations provided in the record to maintain or enhance the sustainability of the use of the target species
The Management Authority recommends that the ranchers identify and train community members on methods of egg collection and handling for maximum production and minimal wastage/loss. More data is needed on the biological status of Nile crocodiles, to inform on the approximate population size, structure, sex ratio and nesting ecology.
Record source
Information about the record source: grey_lit
Date of publication/issue/production: 2008-01-01T00:00:00+0000
Source Reference(s):
(CROCODYLUS NILOTICUS): THE STATUS OF AND TRADE IN THE NILE CROCODILE IN KENYA (2008).
By Solomon Kyalo
Kenya Wildlife Service, Kenya.
NDF WORKSHOP CASE STUDIES
WG 7 – Reptiles and Amphibians
CASE STUDY 1
Crocodylus niloticus
Country – KENYA
Date of record entry: 2023-09-29