Extinction Up Close: A Rare Turtle Under Assault from Poachers (Philippines Palawan Forest Turtles Siebenrockiella leytensis,) - via Herp Digest

By Andrew C. Revkin DOT Earth, Blog, New York Times

June 24, 2015 5:17 pm 

By now, you’ve likely heard about “Accelerated modern human–induced species losses: Entering the sixth mass extinction.”

The paper, published last week in Science Advances used a new approach to estimate global extinction rates and supports previous studies finding that Earth is in the midst of a human-driven “mass extinction” spasm on the scale of past mass die-offs triggered by geophysical calamities. (Another important paper last week, assessing evidence for “mass extinction in poorly known taxa” — a euphemism for low-profile organisms, particularly invertebrates — came up with this dark conclusion: “[We] may already have lost 7 percent of the species on Earth and…the biodiversity crisis is real.”)

I’m still doing reporting on aspects of the Science Advances paper, including on the curious omission of invasive species as a core driver of losses in recent decades. Its conclusion that the mass loss of species imperils human civilization is also ripe for analysis. (A firmer conclusion would be that reducing the planet’s species abundance and richness cannot be good for H. sapiens.) With that in mind, please read an invaluable piece by Cara Giaimo in Atlas Obscura focused on concerns of Stuart Pimm, a leading analyst of extinction, that the public is missing equally important recent science revealing ways to stem the tide.

But it’s worth setting aside these broader questions for a moment to look at what human pressures on rare or isolated species look like up close.

Last Thursday, authorities in the Philippine island province of Palawan confiscated a horrifying trove of more than 4,400 freshwater turtles, 3,800 of which were the critically endangered Palawan forest turtle, Siebenrockiella leytensis.

More than 4,400 freshwater turtles, including 3,800 endangered Palawan forest turtles, were confiscating from a poacher in the Philippines last week.Credit Katala Foundation

A 2012 study published by the international conservation union describes, wrenchingly, how the discovery of the significant population of this turtle at the north tip of Palawan island sparked a “collecting frenzy”:

The recent discovery of a natural population of S. leytensis on Palawan has already spurred a collecting frenzy among wildlife trappers and traders to supply domestic and international markets for the illegal wildlife trade. In spite of its official protected status in local and international listings, the illegal trade in S. leytensis is rampant and is perceived currently as the greatest threat to the species. This threat is exacerbated by the continuing destruction of the lowland forests of Palawan, the primary habitat of the species. If the current trend of overexploitation continues, it is certain that several subpopulations of S. leytensis will soon collapse. In the face of these threats, wildlife authorities on Palawan must immediately enforce relevant laws and encourage greater coordination among appropriate government agencies that typically work in isolation.

The latest reports, from a coalition of turtle conservation groups and the Katala Foundation in Palawan, along with the anti-trafficking group Traffic, show how this has been playing out in a mass roundup and trafficking operation, with the turtles secreted by Chinese merchants in shipments of rattan bound for Hong Kong, where the turtles end up sold both as prized pets and a culinary delicacy. The smuggling route had already been noted in 2012.

In a phone interview, Eric Goode, the founder of the Turtle Conservancy, which breeds and releases rare turtles, said the Palawan forest turtle is particularly vulnerable because of its small range but also because the turtles retreat into communal burrows along stream banks during the day, making poachers’ work easy.

“We work Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden in Hong Kong,” Goode told me. “They’ve been noticing large numbers of this turtle in the food market and pet trade.” He said one indication of the expanded poaching was a drop in the price from 2,500 Hong Kong dollars (about $322 U.S.) to 500 dollars (about $64).

The confiscation of the turtles was hailed today by conservation groups, but Goode said there’s a big challenge in returning them to the wild. Some 3,000 have already been released, but with no certainty they will thrive given the specialize habits.

Please read more in “Crisis in the Philippines,” by the turtle coalition.e