25th Annual Meeting and Symposium of the
Desert Tortoise Council, April 21-24, 2000
Abstracts

Exploitation of Asian Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles and the Need for Immediate and Multi-Pronged Conservation Tactics

Kurt A. Buhlmann
Conservation International, Center For Applied Biodiversity Science
Current Address: Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802

All species of Asian tortoises and freshwater turtles are unquestionably threatened with extinction, some within the next 2-5 years. Participants at the recent Workshop on Trade in Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles in Asia determined that IUCN Red Listings of the 89 recognized species should be classified as follows: 1 Extinct; 18 Critically Imperiled (CR); 23 Endangered (EN); 21 Vulnerable (VU); 15 Lower Risk (LR); 6 Data Deficient (DD); and 5 could not be evaluated (NE). Eight species of tortoises were recognized and evaluated: Geochelone elegans (LR), G. platynota (CR), Indotestudo elongata (VU), I. forstenii (EN), I. travancorica (VU), Manouria emys (EN), M. impressa (VU), and Testudo horsfieldii (VU, NE). 

The over-riding causes of declines in Asian chelonians are attributed to consumption for food and use in traditional medicine. The trade and exploitation of chelonians begins in southern Asian countries (Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, and others) where most species are collected by local villagers and sold to traders. Chelonians are shipped by truck, ship, and airlines and the majority are eventually sold in Chinese markets. Turtles are also consumed in their native countries and collected for the international pet trade. A WWF-TRAFFIC report documented 25 tons of live turtles per week leaving the port of Medan, Sumatra and several hundred tons of live turtles have been flown from Indonesia to China in one day in 1997. In 1996, 2.7 million kg (2970 tons) of live turtles were documented as imported into Hong Kong, whereas 389 tons were documented in 1992. The value of the 1997 Hong Kong turtle trade was estimated at 38.7 million US dollars.

Recommendations from the Workshop included strengthening and enforcing existing regulations and treaties (i.e., CITES), listing all Asian freshwater turtle and tortoise species on Appendix II of CITES, continuing field and market surveys of turtles, investigating the potential to establish sustainable turtle farming operations, developing outreach and education programs, establishing in-country nature reserves with turtle conservation programs, conducting ecological studies of turtle habitats and life histories, and establishing ex-situ conservation programs. 

The situation currently faced by Asian tortoises and freshwater turtles is extremely critical and requires immediate, collaborative, and multi-pronged conservation efforts. Preventing the extinction of several species in the wild may be impossible; commercial extinction is a probability for many others. Perhaps the most immediate conservation response should be the establishment of insurance colonies that can maintain the genetic diversity for all threatened Asian turtle species. Progress towards this goal have been made, but efforts are small, scattered, and need to become better coordinated and expanded. However, reestablishing populations of Asian turtles in their appropriate, native habitats is the long-term goal, not maintaining turtles in captive or semi-captive conditions. Therefore, coordinated efforts must continue to address the Recommendations outlined by the Workshop, including the establishment of insurance colonies.