Crocodiles Crocodylus niloticus as a focal species for conserving water resources in Mauritanian Sahara

Abstract

A survey on the Tagant Plateau, Mauritania, to design a reserve for the crocodile Crocodylus niloticus revealed that the area is occupied by a crocodile population larger than expected. Crocodiles occur in lakes and pools along seasonal rivers that form an inner hydrographical network. Reported movements of individuals during the summer floods suggested that it is necessary to protect the whole 700 km-long hydrological network to preserve interpool connectivity. However, the basin is occupied by 40,000 people that are completely dependent on water from the hydrological network. Thus it was important to propose a reserve network that would reconcile both the protection of biodiversity and human use of water resources. Considering the symbolic role of crocodiles for many Mauritanians, the acceptance of their presence by the people of Tagant, and the increasing use by tourism agencies of some pools for crocodile-watching, the species may be a good focal species for promoting the conservation of the whole hydrological network of the Tagant Plateau.