More than half of all 360 turtle and tortoise species face imminent extinction, according to new research.
An ecologist from Australia's Charles Darwin University has joined 50 experts with the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group to publish the study, which outlines recommendations to reverse the decline and save a number of the threatened species.
Turtles are highly coveted in the illegal wildlife trade, with hundreds-of-thousands of the creatures collected for the black market each year. Contributing to their plight is their longevity and slow growth, as turtles and tortoises cannot reproduce quickly enough to replenish the populations taken from the wild.
The experts say ending the illicit trade is an integral part of a global conservation strategy. Sea turtles have historically been poached and exploited for their eggs, meat, skin and shells, the latter largely used to make jewellery and tourist souvenirs.
The paper's authors are urging global governments to enforce existing laws and implement the CITES convention - a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals - that became effective in July 1975. The agreement regulates the international trade of endangered species, to ensure their survival in the wild is not threatened.
Protecting the habitat of turtles and tortoises is also imperative to their continued survival. Many of the environments where wild turtles dwell and nest are under threat due to pollution and the impacts of climate change.
Turtles and tortoises would benefit from increased protection to 16 hotspots around the world, identified by scientists as home to a wide diversity of species. These 16 surveyed areas of high turtle biodiversity comprised 262 species - or 83 percent of the 315 recognized turtle species at the time of the study.
"One of the major threats to turtles is habitat destruction," said Dr Carla Eisemberg, a contributor to the research and a specialist on Australian, South American and Papua New Guinea freshwater turtles and tortoises.
The authors argue that local communities must be included in the protection of turtles, tortoises and their habitats. Eco-tourism has been suggested as a model that may benefit both the species and local people.
The study was published in the Current Biology journal on Friday.
