Crocodiles everywhere

A recent paper in the Journal of Coastal Research has sparked interest in the value that environmental services play in a local economy (van Heerden and Snyder, 2013). Anyone would have predicted that there is economic value in keeping wild areas intact.

Figure 1. The IUCN status of Alligator mississippiensis as of 2023.

The American alligator was under direct threat in 1973 - listed as EN (endangered) on the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red book. The species was on its way to extinction and only a few hundred thousand existed in the wild (Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, and Florida). In contrast, the Nile Crocodile has never been under any similar form of concern, as it seems to be a more resilient species and has never been under the same kind of environmental pressures as the alligator. However, all species on the planet can suddenly find themselves in the same situation as the alligator given the right circumstances.

Global warming
All crocodilians have temperature-sensitive sex determination. In other words, depending on the atmospheric temperature the egg will change sex. If the planet is getting warmer, the sex ratio of the species will be affected, possibly causing more of one type and creating availability of breeding pairings more difficult.
Nesting sites too are becoming a difficult commodity to find. In Southern Africa, the Triffid Weed (Chromolaena odorata) is blocking access to preferred nesting sites, causing crocodiles to look elsewhere. Egg mortality is another significant factor for crocodilians with some nests suffering up to 80% loss (especially to nest invaders). Territorial factors then start to make a significant impact. The abundance of prey, the pressure from local communities (who often kill crocodiles on sight), and unregulated hunting can threaten the crocodile with local extinction. All of these factors are similar patterns seen in other crocodilians - in other words it is never safe to let down our guard on these species.

Louisiana successes
The south of the United States of America (USA) is largely coastal wetlands, mangroves, and has a very dynamic relationship with the Gulf of Mexico. Specifically, during hurricane season large, medium, and small storms make landfall in a range of places along the south and southeast coasts. At a frequency of about one every 15 years, an extremely large hurricane makes landfall (think of Katrina and Irma). The devastation to the wetlands is pronounced and this is nothing new to this coastline that has been experiencing this for millions of years. Watching on, as a spectator, for those millions of years has been the alligator - an ancient successful species.
In contrast, the much-fabled Mississippi river has flowed southwards for an equal length of time, ending in the Mississippi Delta - a source of huge amounts of sediment and is slowly building land. Or it was. The alligator is not a saltwater species, but it can tolerate seawater, and is found in freshwater, brackish water, and salty wetlands. It does, however, prefer to nest in freshwater. Changes to land and wetlands in particular will affect the species, the same can be said for the Nile crocodiles (without the worry of salt water at inland water bodies). Changes to waterways, storm damage, and vegetation have a pronounced effect on the size of crocodilian populations. The van Heerden study has highlighted that these biomes are in flux and in some cases threatened - a biome under threat places pressure on the species living in those biomes.

Recovery of a species
Since 1973, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (DWAF) has had conservation plans for the American alligator. These included, regulation of hunting permits, conservation efforts, habitat recovery, and to closely work with the US Geological Survey (for river and coastal protection). Another curious effort was that the DWAF started to regulate and monitor egg harvesting - the South had started to do what is called Crocodilian Ranching (egg harvest and growing out of hatchlings). Like the crocodilian farming industry, the farmers had to return a set number of animals back into the wild. In the case of the Ranchers, they were harvesting and rearing “dead” animals. Remember, up to 80% of eggs die in the wild. The release of crocodiles and alligators means that a robust animal (that is largely immune to baby croc predators) is achieved. Conservationists then have to work hard to balance a population that can rapidly explode.
Animal release into the wild doesn’t usually take place in one area. Authorities work with farmers and ranchers to help to figure out which areas need animals. The result is that local or global populations are spared from extinction. The kicker is that an economic industry is formed on the back of it.

Economics of exotic leathers
Looking at the financial data it is hard to say outright that the crocodilians are farmed for their skins. During covid the prices of skins fell through the floor making the meat more valuable, and numerous instances of this economic price fluctuation have occurred outside of covid.
The van Heerden study also muddies the water, in terms that these wetlands have a measurable economic value. To connect these, it is useful considering the purpose of a crocodile or alligator farm - could they be a facility that raises animals for release in a conservation context, that have-to-have economic success, to facilitate that aim. It is hard to see how hard-pressed conservation ministries or departments of wildlife are going to find the capital to do what the farmers are already doing. It is fair to say that it is because the alligator farm products have had so much value, that has allowed the American alligator to go from 300,000 animals to over 6 million animals in 50 years.
Whilst the Nile crocodile is not in the same predicament. The valuation of land and the economic principle of modern crocodilian ranching means that going forward a stronger ethical and conservation argument can be made to keep the existence of these farming businesses. Watch this space.

References
van Heerden, V.N. and Snyder, B. 2023. Meta-analysis and spatial distribution of ecosystem services in Louisiana’s Coastal Zone: implications for coastal restoration. Journal of Coastal Research. DOI: 10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-23-00014.1

In the next issue: Leather education - and now? With ICLT’s imminent closure what is to become of the global leather education industry? Is this more opportunities for others, is this a sign that future training and education in leather needs a different angle?