REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS -TURTLE CONSERVATION FUND – via Herp Digest

A Partnership Coalition of Leading Turtle Conservation Organizations and Individuals

Strategic Action Planning and Funding Support for Conservation of  Threatened Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles

(www.turtleconservationfund.org) 

Conservation International • International Union for the Conservation of Nature / Species Survival Commission / Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group • Turtle Survival Alliance • European Association of Zoos and Aquaria Shellshock Campaign • Chelonian Research Foundation • Chester Zoo • Fort Worth Zoo • Asian Turtle Program • Wildlife Conservation Society • Behler Chelonian Center / Turtle Conservancy • Chelonian Research Institute • Humane Society International - Australia

TCF Board:

Hugh R. Quinn, Co-Chair (DoubleHQ@aol.com)

Anders G.J. Rhodin, Co-Chair (RhodinCRF@aol.com)

Gary Ades; Chris B. Banks; Kurt A. Buhlmann; Kevin R. Buley; Antone Cadi; Bernard Devaux; Eric Goode; Douglas B. Hendrie; Brian D. Horne; Rick Hudson; Gerald Kuchling; Richard Lewis, Susan Lieberman; Luca Luiselli; George Meyer; Russell A. Mittermeier; Vivian Páez; Hans-Dieter Philippen; Colin Poole; Peter C.H. Pritchard; Martina Raffel; Walter C. Sedgwick; Peter Paul van Dijk; Andrew Walde; Henk Zwartepoorte

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The Turtle Conservation Fund (TCF) administers a turtle conservation and research grants program. Awards are granted to organizations or individuals for specific conservation or research projects dealing with tortoises or freshwater turtles, but not marine turtles, with either partial or full support as funding allows. Awards at the present time are approximately in the $2000 to $5000 range per project, with occasional funding up to $10,000.

Priority for funding is given to projects that focus on species that are already highly threatened (Critically Endangered) as determined by the IUCN Red List (www.iucnredlist.org). 

TCF’s highest priority species targeted for funding are listed below.

We welcome proposals for the conservation of species other than those listed, provided a convincing rationale is included why the species’ conservation status merits funding from the TCF.

Award recipients enter into contractual agreement with one of our partner organizations (Conservation International, Chelonian Research Foundation or EAZA Shellshock Campaign) to produce the proposed work.  Award recipients are also encouraged to publish at least partial results of the supported research in the international scientific turtle journal, Chelonian Conservation and Biology, published by TCF Alliance Partner Chelonian Research Foundation (CRF; www.chelonian.org).

For further information and application guidelines go to www.turtleconservationfund.org

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Turtle Conservation Fund

Priority Species List

Species included in this list are Critically Endangered (CR) or proposed as CR (by IUCN Red Listing Workshops).  Listed exceptions include Elusor macrurus (Mary River Turtle) (Endangered), and Terrapene coahuila (Coahuilan Box Turtle) (Endangered).

·         Apalone spinifera atra  (Black Spiny Softshell Turtle, Cuatro Cienegas Softshell Turtle)

·         Astrochelys radiata  (Radiated Tortoise)

·         Astrochelys yniphora  (Ploughshare Tortoise, Angonoka)

·         Batagur affinis  (Southern River Terrapin)

·         Batagur baska  (Northern River Terrapin)

·         Batagur borneoensis  (Painted Terrapin)

·         Batagur kachuga  (Red-crowned Roofed Turtle)

·         Batagur trivittata  (Burmese Roofed Turtle)

·         Chelodina mccordi  (Roti Island Snake-necked Turtle)

·         Chelonoidis (nigra) abingdonii  (Abingdon Island Giant Tortoise)

·         Chelonoidis (nigra) duncanensis  (Duncan Island Giant Tortoise)

·         Chelonoidis (nigra) hoodensis  (Hood Island Giant Tortoise)

·         Chitra chitra  (Asian Narrow-headed Softshell Turtle)

·         Chitra indica  (Indian Narrow-headed Softshell Turtle)

·         Chitra vandijki  (Burmese Narrow-headed Softshell Turtle)

·         Cuora aurocapitata  (Yellow-headed Box Turtle)

·         Cuora bourreti  (Bourret’s Box Turtle)

·         Cuora glabinifrons  (Indochinese Box Turtle)

·         Cuora mccordi  (McCord’s Box Turtle)

·         Cuora pani  (Pan’s Box Turtle)

·         Cuora picturata  (Southern Vietnam Box Turtle)

·         Cuora trifasciata  (Chinese Three-striped Box Turtle, Golden Coin Turtle)

·         Cuora yunnanensis  (Yunnan Box Turtle)

·         Cuora zhoui  (Zhou’s Box Turtle)

·         Dermatemys mawii  (Central American River Turtle)

·         Elusor macrurus  (Mary River Turtle)

·         Erymnochelys madagascariensis  (Madagascan Big-headed Turtle)

·         Geochelone platynota  (Burmese Star Tortoise)

·         Glyptemys muhlenbergii            (Bog Turtle)

·         Gopherus flavomarginatus  (Bolson Tortoise)

·         Heosemys annandalii (Yellow-headed Temple Turtle)

·         Heosemys depressa  (Arakan Forest Turtle)

·         Leucocephalon yuwonoi  (Sulawesi Forest Turtle)

·         Manouria emys (Asian Giant Tortoise)

·         Mauremys annamensis  (Annam Pond Turtle)

·         Mauremys mutica (Yellow Pond Turtle)

·         Mauremys nigricans  (Red-necked Pond Turtle)

·         Mesoclemmys hogei  (Hoge’s Side-necked Turtle)

·         Nilssonia formosa (Burmese Peacock Softshell Turtle)

·         Nilssonia lethii  (Leith’s Softshell Turtle)

·         Nilssonia nigricans  (Black Softshell Turtle, Bostami Softshell)

·         Orlitia borneensis (Malaysian Giant Turtle)

·         Pelochelys cantori  (Asian Giant Softshell Turtle, Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle)

·         Platysternon megacephalum (Big-headed Turtle)

·         Podocnemis expansa  (Giant South American River Turtle, Giant Amazon River Turtle, Arrau)

·         Podocnemis lewyana  (Magdalena River Turtle)

·         Psammobates geometricus  (Geometric Tortoise)

·         Pseudemydura umbrina  (Western Swamp Turtle)

·         Pyxis arachnoides  (Spider Tortoise)

·         Pyxis planicauda  (Flat-tailed Tortoise, Flat-shelled Spider Tortoise)

·         Rafetus swinhoei (Red River Giant Softshell Turtle, Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtle, Swinhoe’s Softshell Turtle)

·         Sacalia bealei (Beal’s Eyed Turtle)

·         Siebenrockiella leytensis  (Philippine Forest Turtle)

·         Sternotherus depressus  (Flattened Musk Turtle)

·         Terrapene coahuila  (Coahuilan Box Turtle)

·         Testudo kleinmanni  (Egyptian Tortoise)