Asian freshwater turtles and land tortoises are under immense pressure from unsustainable wild collection, primarily for food, but also to meet demands for use in traditional medicines and as pets. Zoos Victoria (ZV) has been supporting conservation of these chelonians since the magnitude of the threats was first brought to global attention in 1997. At that time, the primary focus of support was the Turtle Conservation & Ecology Project in Cuc Phuong National Park in northern Vietnam. Now renamed as the Turtle Conservation Centre, the project operates an integrated suite of projects for conservation breeding, local employment and training, monitored releases, conservation awareness and field surveys.

Subsequent support has benefited field surveys in Vietnam and the Philippines, a practical CITES manual in China, conservation awareness materials in China and Vietnam, a guide to Cambodia’s turtles and employment of a wildlife trade monitoring officer in Sumatra. All these initiatives reflect global turtle conservation priorities.

The Asian region has a very rich freshwater turtle and tortoise fauna – at least 90 recorded species so far.  A major focus of the ZV’s conservation support is Vietnam, in partnership with the Turtle Conservation Centre (TCC) in Cuc Phuong National Park. Other field support targets priorities in Sumatra, Cambodia and the Philippines.

Conservation of Asian turtles is an endorsed in situ program under the Wildlife Conservation Fund operated by the Australasian Regional Association of Zoological Parks & Aquaria, Inc. (ARAZPA).

Freshwater turtles and land tortoises (referred to hereafter as turtles) have been collected for food and use in traditional medicines throughout Asia for centuries. But in the late 1990s, with China’s transition to a market economy, use of turtles for food and medicine increased dramatically, leading to what became known as the Asian Turtle Crisis.  The issue was brought to global attention in 1997, when turtle biologists recorded 10,000 turtles in two food markets in two days – these comprised 17 species, half of which were listed as threatened.

That finding led to a regional workshop in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in 1999, which brought together representatives of all south Asian countries and produced a set of recommendations for future action. In 2001 the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) was established to coordinate action by the global captive community (including zoos), followed by the Turtle Conservation Fund (TCF) in 2002 to prioritise in situ action and funding allocations. The TSA and TSF are initiatives of the IUCN and both have global coverage. ZV is represented on the Boards of both groups.

Although turtles globally are under threat, those in Asia are under greatest pressure – of the 90 recorded species, one is Extinct and 43 (48%) are either Endangered or Critically Endangered. Some countries, such as Vietnam, have had their turtle populations decimated by collectors and now act as conduits for the transfer of turtles to regional markets elsewhere. The global trade in turtles is now worth millions of dollars annually and a shipment of almost 10,000 turtles, estimated to be worth more than HK.$3.3 million (approximately AUD.500,000) was seized in Hong Kong in 2001 – 2,000 were dead or dying when the shipment was stopped and another 2,800 subsequently died due to injury and the appalling conditions in which they were packed. But the remaining 4,600 were placed in coordinated breeding programs in zoos and many have since bred.

The significance of the illegal wildlife trade, and its impact on wild populations, has been recognized for many years and is the basis of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna & Flora (CITES), which was created in 1973. More than 160 countries are now signatories to CITES, including Australia, and it is an important tool in combating illegal trade. The key body responsible for monitoring trade in wildlife is TRAFFIC – Trade Records Analysis of Fauna & Flora in Commerce. This was established in 1976 as a joint initiative between the IUCN and WWF.

The south-east Asian community is taking this issue very seriously and has created a framework to implement coordinated action – ASEAN-WEN (Association of South East Asian Nations – Wildlife Enforcement Network.

The collection of and trade in wildlife is part of a much larger threat to the world’s biodiversity – unsustainable use of natural resources, which is one of ZV’s key conservation messages.

The TSA and TCF collaborate to assess global turtle/tortoise needs, prioritise actions and allocate funds. The TCF Global Action Plan has a 10 year program, with four broad themes and associated actions:

1. Assurance Colony Development, in range states wherever that is feasible – this includes handling and placing turtles seized from the illegal trade.
2. Conservation Biology Research: includes field & trade surveys, reintroduction techniques and taxonomic studies.
3. Range Country Capacity Building: education & training, head-start programs, direct habitat/population protection, advocacy, etc.
4. Regulation & Enforcement of Wildlife/Trade Laws.

Turtle conservation projects supported by ZV in south-east Asia reflect the priorities in the Global Action Plan.

Zoos Victoria works with three main partners in supporting conservation of Asian turtles:

• The TCC in northern Vietnam.
• TRAFFIC in Sumatra.
• Conservation International in Cambodia.

We also liaise closely with the TCF and TSA, as well as the Asian Turtle Conservation Network based in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Monitoring success

The effectiveness of ZV’s support for turtle conservation, and its value as a tool to help address the broader issue of illegal trade in wildlife, is assessed through regular reports from our field partners.

Zoos Victoria's role

The bulk of ZV’s support for Asian turtles is derived from Melbourne Zoo visitor donations at an exhibit featuring one of the most threatened of Asia’s turtles – the Chinese Three-striped Box Turtle, or Golden Coin Turtle, Cuora trifasciata. This is an excellent animal to highlight the issues surrounding turtles in Asia, as collection has almost wiped out wild populations and individual turtles command a high price in the illegal trade. The Zoo also maintains breeding groups of Elongate Tortoises (Indotestudo elongata) and Star Tortoises (Geochelone elegans), both of which feature heavily in trade across southern Asia.

Zoos Victoria has supported a range of actions to address the Asian Turtle Crisis:

• Turtle Conservation Centre, Vietnam: funding to support TCC management, including local staff employment, goods in-kind, and advice on turtle husbandry.
• Fauna & Flora International-Philippines: field survey for the Endangered Philippine Forest Turtle, Heosemys leytensis.
• TCC and Forest Protection Department (Vietnam): field surveys for the Critically Endangered Giant Yangtze Softshell Turtle, Rafetus swinhoei.
• Chinese CITES Authority: publication of an operations manual for CITES enforcement staff in China.
• Development of community awareness posters (in English, Vietnamese and Mandarin) in partnership with Positive Action for Conservation Team (PACT), with distribution support from Friends of Nature (Beijing), Saigon Zoo, Lonely Planet, TCC and Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden (Hong Kong).
• Publication support for “The Adventures of Lucky Turtle”, a children’s story raising awareness of Asian turtles – with PACT for a Mandarin edition and Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV) for an English edition.
• TRAFFIC-Indonesia: employing a wildlife monitoring officer in northern Sumatra.
• Conservation International-Cambodia: a conservation guide to Cambodia’s tortoises and freshwater turtles.

The more significant achievements include:

• ZV was an important supporter of the TCC during its establishment phase. It is now the most productive and effective turtle conservation facility in south-east Asia.
• The practical manual for the Chinese CITES Management Authority enabled staff to implement China’s CITES regulations; hence assisting broader efforts by the Chinese Government to reduce the impact of trade in turtles.
• The Philippine Forest Turtle surveys led to a community-based conservation project for this species across its known range.
• The “Lucky Turtle” books increased awareness of threats to turtles in Vietnam.
• Employment of the TRAFFIC officer in Medan has enabled collection of valuable trade data. Medan is an important hub for wildlife trade in south-east Asia.

Forward priorities

• Ongoing support for TRAFFIC in south-east Asia to collate trade data and implement actions to reduce its impact.
• Establish a collaborative breeding program for the Golden Coin Turtle, in partnership with other ARAZPA zoos and south-east Asian partners.

Ades, G. & P. Crow (2002) The Asian Turtle Rescue Operation: Temporary Holding and Placement at Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden, Hong Kong. Turtle & Tortoise Newsletter 6: 2-7.

Diesmos, A.C., Gee, G.V.A., Diesmos, M.L. Brown, R.M., Widmann, J. & J.C. Dimalibot (2004) Rediscovery of the Philippine Forest Turtle, Heosemys leytensis (Chelonia: Bataguridae), from Palawan Island, Philippines. Asiatic Herpetological Research 10: 22-27.
 
Hendrie, D.B. & V.T.Quyen (2006) The Adventures of Lucky Turtle. Education for Nature – Vietnam, Hanoi.
 
Turtle Conservation Fund (2002) A Global Action Plan for Conservation of Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles; Strategy and Funding Prospectus 2002-2007. Conservation International, Washington, D.C.; and Chelonian Research Foundation, Lunenberg, USA.

Van Dijk, P.P., Stuart, B.L. & A.G.J. Rhodin (eds.) (2000) Asian Turtle Trade: Proceedings of a Workshop on Conservation and Trade of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises in Asia. Chelonian Research Foundation, Lunenberg, USA.

Ziming, W. (2001) Practical Manual on Wildlife Import & Export Management in China. China Forestry Publishing Service, Beijing, China.