The demise of the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) as a keystone species for aquatic ecosystem conservation in South Africa: The case of the Olifants River.

The article discusses the end of the Nile crocodile as the keystone species for aquatic ecosystem conservation in Olifants River in South Africa. It notes that the water quality of almost all river systems in the country has worsened progressively due to increasing urbanization and industrialization. This has resulted in a progressive reduction of numbers and abundance of several sensitive species of insects, amphibians, as well as fish and aquatic mammals, such as the Nile crocodiles.