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. 

Surveys were resumed in late January to assess the status of nesting banks and enumerate associated threats for two endangered species of Batagur in India. After a rapid reconnaissance, two protected riverside hatcheries were established along the Chambal River near Garhaita (lower section, Uttar Pradesh) and Baroli Villages (upper section, Madhya Pradesh) in early February.
 
Every year, TSA in association with Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh Forest Departments establishes such hatcheries to protect endangered Batagur kachuga and B. dhongoka nests from natural predation and poaching as well as to collect information on nesting along the Chambal River, possibly the last stronghold of B. kachuga.

Student Shashwat Sirsi recently completed softshell turtle surveys in the southern Indian states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh , focusing on the endemic, poorly known and highly endangered Leith's softshell, Nilssonia leithi.  The surveys were funded by a seed grant from the TSA and completed with the support of TSA India and our partner, the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust. Read the Final Report here . These surveys represent preliminary work and Shashwat has been given a six-month contract to complete additional surveys for N . leithii and Pelochelys cantorii in south India in 2011 as a full-time Project Officer with the TSA-MCBT India Program.

Personnel at the Garhaita Turtle Conservation Center have been hard at work winterizing the headstart facilities for endangered turtles, especially Batagur kachuga. (You can read about the "green" headstarting enclosure on page 51 of the 2010 TSA Magazine.) The facility on the Chambal River uses a bio-filtration system which is powered by a solar water pump. During the recent upgrade work, 50 fish and three species of water weeds have been added to the tank's biological chambers. These fish will feed on residue and insects, improving water quality. At the same time, the water weeds will also help to reduce organic load in the ponds.

To improve water oxygenation, three shower heads have been installed to circulate and sprinkle water as it moves from the storage tank to the filtration tank. A new electric and solar powered gate system also allows for increased water rotation between tanks.  

UPDATE: Download the final report from the workshop here .

Recently the Indian Turtle Conservation Program (ITCP), in association with Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and IUCN/SSC Tortoises and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group hosted the “Indian Freshwater Turtle and Tortoises Conservation Priority Areas & Initiatives” workshop and core-group meeting. The ITCP is a joint countrywide initiative of the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA), Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and San Diego Zoo Global to protect threatened freshwater turtles and tortoises and their habitats. The workshop was co-sponsored by the TSA, WWF-Canada, Cleveland Zoological Society, San Diego Zoo Global and Seksaria Sugar Factory.

The workshop took place October 22-24, 2010 in Lucknow, the capital city of Uttar Pradesh. The main objectives of the meeting were to review the implementation of the 2005 TSA/MCBT “Conservation Action Plan for Indian Endangered Turtles and Tortoises” and to discuss and prioritize important turtle areas for conservation action across India, while reviewing their potential to support new programs. Participants also were tasked with identifying competent local partners and collaborators for key turtle conservation initiatives.

The Indian Turtle Conservation Programme (ITCP), a joint initiative of the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA), Madras Crocodile Bank Trust (MCBT) and San Diego Zoo, in association with Uttar Pradesh Forest Department, will organize a national workshop dedicated to turtle conservation entitled “Indian Freshwater Turtle and Tortoises Conservation Priority Areas and Initiatives”. The workshop will be held from 22 -24 October 2010 in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh.

Patricia Koval (TSA Board of Directors and WWF-Canada Chair) recently inaugurated the newly built John Thorbjarnarson Memorial Chambal Conservation Centre in Etawah, India. John was a highly regarded crocodilian biologist, who also made his mark in chelonian conservation. He passed away on February 14, leaving a great void in the conservation community.

The new educational facility is located at the Turtle Conservation Centre, along the National Chambal (River) Sanctuary. The landmark event was held on on April 22, to celebrate both World Earth Day and the establishment day of Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF).

Large batagurid turtles of the genus Batagur are probably the most threatened freshwater turtles in India.  Their populations have been immensely reduced due to multiple factors such as poaching, accidental drowning in fishing gear, and habitat destruction.  They have all but disappeared from most of the Ganges river system, one of the world’s largest watersheds.