American Crocodile is Downlisted
Another Endangered Species Recovering With Help From ESA
The Endangered Species Act may be under fire, but it is working for crocodiles and other less charismatic species which might not protected any other way.
The first thing that comes to mind when reading that the American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) has been downlisted from Endangered to Threatened under the Endangered Species Act(ESA) is: Would this animal have survived without the ESA? Probably not. And, as is often the case, protecting this species meant that critical habitat was protected so other species got protection in the process. Being listed as threatened means that some protection and monitoring will also continue. Better yet, under Florida law the species is still listed as endangered by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission. So locally the protection is well supported.
Changes to the ESA
The draft changes to the ESA are, at this point, being reconsidered. The outcry from conservation organizations, especially the joint efforts of the Center for Biological Diversity and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), has caused the Department of the Interior to go back to the drawing board. A key change that the conservation groups objected to was reduction of habitat protection. Land in South Florida, the only place where American crocs live in the US, is at a premium. Lots of developers would love to get their hands on the land that is being protected for the crocs- coastal habitat and mangrove swamps. Waterfront property in a state with an incredibly fast growing population.
The Crocodile
Crocodiles are crocodilians, an ancient group of species which includes crocodiles, alligators and gharials. Of the 22 species still alive, 17 are in significant danger of extinction. The American crocodile inhabits 17 countries of North, Central and South America as well as some islands of the Caribbean. And in most of those places it is either endangered or surveys have not been completed but serious depletion is likely.
Present Threats
Previously hunted for their hides, crocodiles are vulnerable to accidental (or not so accidental) take in legal caiman fisheries in some Latin American countries, changing water levels and hydroelectric construction and mangrove destruction to make way for shrimp farming in others. In the US, dams which divert water for human uses are increasing the salinity of places like Florida Bay, a key breeding area. Adult crocs can handle saltwater but not hatchlings. Then there is the other big reptile, the alligator. Itself a conservation success story when it was moved from endangered to threatened status on the Endangered Species List in 1987, the alligator is so numerous in Florida it is often killed as a nuisance animal. And many people can’t tell them apart. So crocs are killed. So ESA protection is still needed even as the population has stabilized.
As the ESA itself continues to be threatened, it is important to celebrate its value. Here’s to the ESA and its’ newest success, the American crocodile.
