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Turtles and tortoises (chelonians) have been integral components of global ecosystems for about 220 million years and have played important roles in human culture for at least 400,000 years. The chelonian shell is a remarkable evolutionary adaptation, facilitating success in terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems. Today, more than half of the 360 living species and 482 total taxa (species and subspecies combined) are threatened with extinction. This places chelonians among the groups with the highest extinction risk of any sizeable vertebrate group. Turtle populations are declining rapidly due to habitat loss, consumption by humans for food and traditional medicines and collection for the international pet trade. Many taxa could become extinct in this century. Here, we examine survival threats to turtles and tortoises and discuss the interventions that will be needed to prevent widespread extinction in this group in coming decades.

The Burmese roofed turtle (

Successful restoration of Geochelone platynota to Dry Zone ecosystems in Myanmar depends on the survival of translocated tortoises and, therefore, a knowledge of predators and predation is important. We here report the loss of 28 and approximately 200 translocated G. platynota to Eurasian golden jackals (Canis aureus) and wild pigs (Sus scrofa), respectively, at Shwe Settaw Wildlife Sanctuary in central Myanmar. Measures to reduce the risk of future predation include structural reinforcement of acclimation pens to deter wild pigs and the experimental use of large cat (e.g., tiger [Panthera tigris] and leopard [Panthera pardus]) odors to repel jackals and wild pigs from the translocation area.

The Burmese Roofed Turtle (Batagur trivittata Duméril & Bibron, 1835) is a large (straight-line carapace length [CL] to 620 mm; Platt et al., 2019), aquatic, herbivorous turtle endemic to the major river systems of Myanmar (Smith 1931; TTWG 2017). Although historically widespread and apparently abundant, long-term population declines resulted from chronic egg collecting, subsistence harvesting of adults, and loss of critical nesting habitat (Platt et al. 2017a). By the late 1990s B. trivittata was considered a candidate for Extinct status (Bhupathy et al. 2000) until a living specimen purchased in a Chinese wildlife market came into the possession of an American turtle collector in the early 2000s (Platt et al. 2005; W.P. McCord, pers. comm.). Shortly thereafter, field surveys “rediscovered” two remnant populations in the Dokhtawady and upper Chindwin Rivers (Platt et al. 2005; Kuchling et al. 2006). Intense ex- and in-situ recovery efforts were launched shortly thereafter and continue today (Kuchling & Tint Lwin 2004; Çilingir et al. 2017).

We conducted an interview-based survey to investigate the conservation status of large (adult carapace length >400mm) Softshell Turtles (Amyda ornata, Chitra vandijki, and Nilssonia formosa) in the Irrawaddy Dolphin Protected Area (IDPA) of Myanmar during November 2015. Our objectives were to: (1) determine which species of Softshell Turtles occur in IDPA, (2) assess threats to these populations, (3) evaluate the protected area as a release site for captive-bred Softshell Turtles, and (4) make conservation recommendations. To this end, we interviewed 180 people (mostly males) in 30 villages and verified the occurrence of all three species of Softshell Turtles in IDPA. Softshell Turtle populations appear to have undergone precipitous declines during the last 10–15 years largely driven by commercial demand from the illegal trans-boundary wildlife trade with China. Turtle hunting is no longer considered economically worthwhile, but Softshell Turtles continue to be taken as fisheries by-catch. We recommend that existing regulations designed to protect dolphins be enforced, and most importantly electro-fishing be eliminated from IDPA. We also urge authorities to revisit earlier proposals to reduce or eliminate the use of monofilament gill netting in IDPA. Implementation of a community-based fisheries plan to address these issues is warranted. In lieu of effective action, Softshell Turtle populations in IDPA face almost certain extirpation in the near future. IDPA is currently considered unsuitable as a release site for captive-bred Softshell Turtles.

The Burmese roofed turtle (Batagur trivittata) is one of the world's most endangered turtles. Only one wild population remains in Myanmar. Based on field observations, wild breeders are thought to number around a dozen. Combined in-situ and ex-situ conservation efforts for the species have raised >700 captive turtles over a decade predominantly from wild collected eggs. In one of the most comprehensive studies bridging genomic methodologies with active in-situ and ex-situ conservation efforts, we obtained ∼1500 unlinked genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from ∼40% of the turtles’ remaining global population. We found that individuals fall into five distinct genetic clusters, four of which represent full-sib families. We inferred a low effective population size (≤10) but did not detect signs of severe inbreeding, possibly because the population bottleneck has only happened recently. Based on genetic diversity, we identified two groups of 30 individuals from the captive pool that were subsequently reintroduced, leading to an increase in breeding success in the wild. Another 25 individuals, selected via the same criteria, were transferred to Singapore Zoo as an assurance colony. Our study demonstrates that the research-to-application gap in conservation can be bridged by successful agency-academic collaboration and through rigorous application of sound genomic methodologies. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

We report the first specimen-based records of Heosemys spinosa (Gray 1830) from Myanmar, validating earlier assumptions of its occurrence within the country. Our records consist of 5 living H. spinosa examined at Kan Baw Gyi Village in Tanintharyi Region of southern Myanmar. These specimens originated from seasonally inundated lowland riparian wetlands near the village where we examined them. Potential threats to H. spinosa in southern Myanmar include subsistence and commercial harvesting and, most importantly, the widespread conversion of natural forests to oil palm plantations.

The Arakan forest turtle (Heosemys depressa) is a critically endangered, poorly known chelonian endemic to western Myanmar. Previously known only from the Rakhine ( = Arakan) Hills, we here report a significant northward range extension into the southern Chin Hills, verify the occurrence of H. depressa in Kyauk Pan Taung Wildlife Sanctuary, and present new information on elevational limits, natural history, and folk taxonomy of this enigmatic species.

The once abundant Burmese star tortoise (Geochelone platynota) was functionally extirpated from Myanmar largely due to exploitation for wildlife trade markets. Geochelone platynota is ende...

We present a review and analysis of the conservation status and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) threat categories of all 360 currently recognized species of extant and recently extinct turtles and tortoises (Order Testudines). Our analysis is based on the 2018 IUCN Red List status of 251 listed species, augmented by provisional Red List assessments by the IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group (TFTSG) of 109 currently unlisted species of tortoises and freshwater turtles, as well as re-assessments of several outdated IUCN Red List assessments. Of all recognized species of turtles and tortoises, this combined analysis indicates that 20.0% are Critically Endangered (CR), 35.3% are Critically Endangered or Endangered (CR+EN), and 51.9% are Threatened (CR+EN+Vulnerable). Adjusting for the potential threat levels of Data Deficient (DD) species indicates that 56.3% of all data-sufficient species are Threatened. We calculated percentages of imperiled species and modifi...

Birdlimes are adhesive entangling compounds that passively capture birds by binding them to a substrate and rendering flight feathers useless. We investigated birdlime use among indigenous Chin hunters during a wildlife survey of Natma Taung National Park (NTNP) in western Myanmar (May-June 2011). We found that birdlime is prepared from the sap of various banyan trees (Ficus spp.) collected during the annual dry season (December-May). Birdlime is prepared by boiling sap to remove water, and the finished product is a readily malleable and extremely adhesive compound known locally as nghet phan te kaw (“bird glue”). Hunters employ four principal strategies when using birdlime: 1) limed sticks are placed at waterholes and springs; 2) limed sticks are placed in fruiting trees or nocturnal roost sites; 3) limed sticks are positioned at prominent vantage points and hunters mimic vocalizations to attract birds; 4) small insects (possibly termites) are affixed to a limed pole and serve as bait to attract birds. Large numbers (>200) of birds can reportedly be captured during a single day by hunters using birdlime. At least 186 (63.9%) of 291 species of birds occurring in Natma Taung National Park are thought to be vulnerable to this non-selective hunting strategy. The endangered white-browed nuthatch (Sitta victoriae Rippon Sittidae), a poorly-studied endemic species restricted to high elevation Oak-Rhododendron forest in NTNP, is vulnerable to birdliming, although the impact of hunting on populations remains unclear. We recommend that future investigations determine the sustainability of the Chin bird harvest by relating hunter off-take to recruitment and survivorship of nuthatches. If conservation action is deemed prudent, management plans should be developed in close collaboration with local Chin communities.

The Burmese roofed turtle (Batagur trivittata) is one of the world's most endangered turtles. Only one wild population remains in Myanmar. There are thought to be 12 breeding turtles in the wild. Conservation efforts for the species have raised700 captive turtles since 2002, predominantly from eggs collected in the wild. We collected tissue samples from 445 individuals (approximately 40% of the turtles' remaining global population), applied double-digest restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (ddRAD-Seq), and obtained approximately 1500 unlinked genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms. Individuals fell into 5 distinct genetic clusters, 4 of which represented full-sib families. We inferred a low effective population size (≤10 individuals) but did not detect signs of severe inbreeding, possibly because the population bottleneck occurred recently. Two groups of 30 individuals from the captive pool that were the most genetically diverse were reintroduced to the wild, leading to an increase in the number of fertile eggs (n = 27) in the wild. Another 25 individuals, selected based on the same criteria, were transferred to the Singapore Zoo as an assurance colony. Our study demonstrates that the research-to-application gap in conservation can be bridged through application of cutting-edge genomic methods.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Red List considers Batagur baska regionally extinct in Myanmar owing to the paucity of recent records. We conducted field surveys in coastal regions of Myanmar during 2004 and verified the occurrence of small populations of B. baska at scattered localities in Mon State, and Tanintharyi and Ayeyarwady Divisions. We attribute the continued persistence of these populations to a combination of local religious beliefs that discourage the capture of turtles and areas of armed conflict between government forces and Mon insurgents where fishermen can venture only at great personal risk.