Day 4 finally rolled around and it was time to sit back and listen to presentations on some of what are considered model programs for turtle conservation in the region.  First up is the Cuc Phuong Turtle Conservation Center in Vietnam, perhaps the best known and respected of all the regional centers due to its longevity.  The presentation was done by the young man in charge now, Hoan Van Thai. This was his first ever public presentation before an international audience and for a shy person, he did an admirable job.  He was followed by Shailendra Singh, TSA Turtle Conservation Coordinator, who presented a comprehensive 5-year overview of the Batagur program on the Chambal River Sanctuary in India.  This program is impressive in its scope and the number of hatchling Batagur (two species) that have been hatched and released (37,000 for B. dhongoka alone) is significant.  Many other components are involved including headstarting, local awareness and poacher conversion.

With all the country and trade reports as background information, and with the Red-listing behind us, the stage was finally set for the critical Day 3 of the workshop:  designing specific priority conservation actions for the most threatened species.  And though I am not at liberty to formally report the findings of the Red List workshop, I can tell you that the situation has worsened, in fact very considerably.  The number of species recommended for the Critically Endangered rank (the next most serious rank is Extinct In The Wild) now stands at 38% of the 86 Asian species, a 90% increase since the 1999 Cambodia workshop!!

On Tuesday morning - day two of the workshop - the seventy workshop participants reviewed the “Red List,” an internationally recognized database of the world’s most vulnerable species. Participants from countries throughout Asia provided the most up-to-date information on the status of each species. A few were determined to be secure enough now to consider lowering their Red List status, but for a significant number of other species the group agreed that they are now at a greater risk of extinction than when previously reviewed.

Despite numerous successes in captive breeding, habitat protection and community awareness, these dwindling species have suffered overwhelming stresses to their populations. Be it a poor fisherman trying to feed his family or a wildlife trader selling rare animals to an international collector for thousands of dollars, both result in animals being vacuumed from the wild.

We were happy to see some old friends and meet some new ones at the Conservation of Asian Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles workshop at the Singapore Zoo. Over 70 delegates from 20 countries, including 16 Asian nations were in attendance.

Hosted by the Wildlife Reserves Singapore and the Wildlife Conservation Society, in collaboration with the Turtle Survival Alliance, Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, San Diego Zoo Global and the IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group, the workshop summarized the turtle conservation activities over the past ten years in Asia. 

Many of the same issues we heard about 10 years ago in Phnom Penh, Cambodia are still an issue, a disappointment but a reminder that we aren’t doing enough.  There were some great highlights to the day mingled amongst the somber news; our Asian friends have not been sitting by idly.  The scope and scale of the turtle trade in Asia is clearly still the problem and new countries and trade routes are being exploited.  The numbers of turtles passing through some of these countries is almost incomprehensible; one country reported in excess of 40,000 lbs of turtles registered as being traded per year.  This only represents what is passing through legally “on the books” and does not represent what is being transported illegally.  One market in China reported in excess of one million turtles being sold annually with most of the turtles being endangered or critically endangered.  Some of the rarer animals for the pet market are fetching prices of USD 25,000; it is little wonder these animals are being vacuumed from the landscape. 

There was good news recently for a rare species of River Terrapin (Batagur baska, now re-classified as Batagur affinis) in the Sre Ambel area of Cambodia’s coastal region, with the successful hatching of 23 eggs on a beach in the Sre Ambel River.
The Fisheries Administration and WCS have been working with communities in the Sre Ambel area since 1999, conserving the Batagur through the implementation of a variety of conservation interventions. These interventions are targeted to protect in-situ populations of Batagur, through guarding nesting beaches and adjoining sections of river throughout the nesting and incubation seasons, and implementing patrols in remaining habitat. These activities are complemented by an ex-situ conservation hatchling center.

The in-situ project activities are based around the two remaining rivers where the animals occur. One team comprised of three conservation personnel work along the Sre Ambel River and another team of four concentrate on the Kaong River. Both groups are coordinated by Mr. Yen That, from the Sre Ambel Fisheries, Koh Kong province. The focus of activities is the protection of the Batagur nests and during the nesting season the conservation teams attempt to locate all nests along each river. They then construct enclosures around the nests to provide protection against predators.

The 2009 nesting beach was first identified in March, after project patrol staff found several Batagur tracks on the beach, and subsequently found 23 eggs buried in the sand. The beach was then guarded around the clock by project staff for two months, until the eggs hatched in early May. The hatchlings were relocated to the hatchling center, where they will be housed in small plastic tubs for the next six months, until they are large enough to be introduced to one of the center’s larger concrete holding pens.

There are currently 115 animals being held at the facility, 46 hatchlings from 2006, 46 hatchlings from 2007, plus the 23 recent arrivals. The center is staffed by a dedicated team that ensure that fresh food is provided for the hatchlings on a daily basis and the facility is enclosed in a metal fence to prevent theft. The animals eat primarily morning glory (Ipomea), with the addition of mangrove fruits from the Sre Ambel river system during the fruiting season. All the hatchlings have been micro-chipped. Plans are currently being finalized to improve the center with a new solar water pump, increased water storage capacity and additional holding facilities, with the latter now particularly important given the recent arrival of the 2009 hatchlings.

Given the increasing threats to wild Batagur in the Sre Ambel river system, it is now more important than ever to ensure that there is an appropriate release plan in place for the hatchlings at the center. This includes an expert appraisal of the ecological requirements of the hatchlings and the suitability of the habitat within the Sre Ambel and surrounding river systems, as well as an assessment of the existing and future threats to wild Batagur in these river systems. A number of boat surveys were conducted in late 2008 and early 2009, firstly by a team of ecologists who were conducting surveys throughout southwest Cambodia and secondly by Batagur experts including Brian Horne. These surveys assessed both the quality and suitability of habitat in the area, as well as the threat posed by future economic developments, such as hydropower dams. It is hoped that information obtained from these surveys will facilitate the formulation of a release strategy in the near future.

- Heng Sovannara and Mark Gately
Fisheries Administration, Royal Government of Cambodia/Wildlife Conservation Society

The TSA currently provides both logistical and technical support to the Batagur headstarting operation in Sre Ambel, and funded (with EAZA Shellshock and the Batchelor Foundation) the construction of the facility in 2006.