size: 7451KB - Crocodile Specialist Group

Bcginning in the 1970s, a more acrive approach !o crocodil,
ian conservation was initiated in India. A nadonal commitmcnr
was made 1() prcscrvc the ahree nativc spccies of crocodilians,
and a program sct up jnvolving iho protccrion of habitat and a
restocking campaign initiated. Crocodilian r€aring ccnters
were esbblished around rhe counrry, siocked wilh oggs cot,
lecrcd fiom wild nesls. Thc young were rearcd ar $ese centers
unnl f}ley had rcached a size wherc they could bo relcased. This
progam, inidally supporred by thc United Nalion's Food and
Agriculture (hganization, has been an overall success, and a
similrr projcct has since been cstablished in Ncpal for rhe
endangered gharial. Restocking and reintroduction programs
arc also now being iniriacd in orher counlrics (e.9., Venezuela).
Howcvcr, in some counlrics (e.g., Papua New cuine3,
Zimbabwc) a very different approach ro crocodilian conservation
was bcing arempled as early as $e lale 1960s. This
approach was bascd on $e exploitrlion of crocodilhns in a
C(qtlnEmtg9 r, Crcc.dllut rall,, tr, Ilkr.pad4 Oriss., Indt.. ralional, or sustainable-yield, fash ion. Suslainable Yield Ulilization
(SYID is defined as utilizalion ofa rcsource rhar meets
C.oodilians sho{complex smial behrvln. Courting nry tnvotve
rDaring {bI hal€t, losrural ch.n96, p6ltlo.ing, ,nd snout rubbing, the necds of rbe prcsenr wilhout compromising the abiliry of
shosn hre (Phoro b] L.A.K. Stngh).
fulurc gcncralions
mc41 lhcir own needs, I! means usjng a
r€so rcc at a rale within its capacily for renewal (IUCN 1990).
ln thc con@xr oi crocodilian usc, SYU refers loexploitarion of
revcaled tlatexccssivcexploitation inreccnt yedrs hal dcplctcd a crocodilian spccjes in a way tha! conrribulcs !o lhe conserva,
crocodilcs to such a low lcvel fia! complerc proreclion lbr a tion of the sp€cics fid ill habiur in the wild. Insread of
decadc or more is nc.cssary to al low population re.ovcry. If lhe managing a hrrvest based on short-lerm e.onomic gain. as had
SolomoDs had bccn suneyed 15 ycars ago iimighr havc been been donc by the replile le3rhcr induslry, hawests were ptanncd
possiblc to conservc lhecrcrodiles by dcvcloping susoinable to providc cconomic and consewadon bcnefjB in perpeluiry
use ol thjs vrlu3ble resouR c s ilhour deplering ir.
(sce b€low). The rcaliry of the siluadon in fte doveloping world
is ft alw jldlife is compcting wili mankind forlimirc{rrcsources.
Crocodilian Conservation Prograrns
Dcnying wildlife acommercial value denies it lhc opporrunity
Thc World Conservation Sraregy defincs
locompete
$ree spccific
succcssfully wirh
obje{-
altcmalive hnd usepracrices sucl
livcs for lhe conservarion of living resourccs: (t)
aragriculrure(lvcbb
10 maintajn
loo0). Thckcy ingredicnl lorLhesuca..
essenlial ccologicdl processcs and life suppon systems, (2)
oi qsLrinable-yrcld ulili,,arion,SYtt' programs
to
ies.6lfi
prcscrvc genelic divcrsiry, and (3) io cnsure
ccunomic
fiar thc
bcncfir. Lhat accruc
utilization
ro local peoplcsfrom t1.'.onrr_
of spc.ics and ecosyslcms
varion
is only donc
ol wild popularion(.
on a susrainablc
B)
basis
mdkingcrocoditianstvatrrbtc
0UCN 1980). Thc lasr rwo of lhese objc.lives
economic rcsource,
are of
we arc
direcr
sffccrively broadenin&6s c6nstiiu
concc.n 10 thc Crocodile Specirlisr croup, and broadlydetinc
cncy fo. conservalion,
rhe rwo briil rlpc\ oi (roaudi|an con\crvxlion
Although
ffo8rJm\ in
fie use of sustainable-yietd manag(,menl for wildlife
conscrvalion prcgrams
eilcct worldwidc; rccovery programs dcsigned to rcduce
is
lhe
loday a somewhfu conu.ovenrar
thrcar of extincdon ro endangcrcd
issue,lhcrc
sprcies, and no doubrftal
suslajnable
when carcfully pLarocd and rmplc
yicld utilization programs lhal
mented,
capiralizc on the e.onom
1}cse pfograms
ic value
can be sDccessful.'Iie valuc of SyU
ul cr(\ odilirn\ aj a mcrrns ut promo
managcmcnl
ng conscNa
programs
on.
ljc, in rhe abitqAo provrd economrc
A growing realizadon tha( many
inccn|lrc\ forconsc^ariun
crcodilians wcrc becomlng,
or akeady wcrc, endangcrcd
acrion. Ihe$, incenri\cs (ome on
a numbcr
spccics emergcd in
of levels:
the 1960s,
Jnd tr.{s lir,rcrllcd ro thc atlcnliun of Lhe.. rcnlitiJ. ommunily 1- National level. Thc export.sf crocodilian Droducls is often
byCott(1961). The wortdwidcconcem for rhc conservarion of an impurhnr sourcc of i6r6;gn exchangc, e.rc{iJ y for
crocoditians wds rcflcc1&l in lhe crerlion of thc Crocodile ocveroprng-counlnes{r,ing to /8 L Thi\pro! jdcsc{onomic
Snecirli.t Lirout ot IUC\'. SIle.rcs Srr!rvrl Comri,von In rncenrvcs ror governmcnts to enforce &e rcgulations rc,
1971. Conservation cfforA wcrc unde.lalcn by a hosr of galdinE utilipr.:Jir cftc{!ivety. Thc protj(r tuncrioninS ol
countrics worldwidc during thc 1960s dnd carly t970s (Co[ rhc SYU progran" i\ al,o In rhc bcsi iniercsl ot Lhe lo.3l
and Pooley 1972). Mosr cooscraaiion programs a1 rhis rjme repulc leaths. i,i.lusuf' and can lead ro thc formarion ot
cenlercd on lhe p$sage oflegislalion p.ohibiting fiekilling of ccoperadves or associarions (har provide a sclf,tolicing
crocodilians, or the crcalion of prolc.lcd areas for wildlife lunction and repon illegal aclivitics.
conscrvadon. However, oulside of ft c more developc{i couiltries,
wbcrc [inancia] aod institutiooalrcsou.ces wcrc adequatc thc cconomic valuc ofcrocodilirns is an imporbnr incen
2. l,andowncrs. Whcn SyU programs involvc privatc lands,
to cnforce rhe lcgr(l ion. lew of rhere (onsc^:r'ion proC.ai. livc for landowners !o prolc{jt rhcir residcnl cnrcodilian
playcd any major rolc in lhe conscrvation of croco,.lilians- populalons and weltand habilrls_