Territorial Analysis of Human-Crocodile Interactions in a Highly Urbanized Area of Northeastern Mexico

Abstract

Ciudad Madero is an urban area with a high population density that has settled between the lagoon system of southern Tamaulipas (Northeast of Mexico). In these places, wetlands and mangroves are habitat for the swamp crocodile, with populations that have recovered due to the protection of the species. In recent years, more and more human-crocodile interactions have been recorded around bodies of water. We capture the information in a database, to be georeferenced and used in a geographic information system, in which we generate growing buffers from 100 to 500 meters of the lagoons and channels. 86% of the interactions occurred within 200 m or less of a body of water, concentrating on flat areas of former wetlands that became human settlements without paving in many of their streets and with a high population density. For this reason, we consider that these may be the areas with the greatest risk of human-crocodile interaction, and that is where prevention efforts and environmental education policies for the inhabitants of the municipality should be concentrated.