Population Status, Threats and Conservation of the Spotted Pond Turtle; Geoclemys Hamiltonii (Gray, 1830) (Geoemydidae) of Pakistan

Authors

  • Amtyaz Safi .Department of Zoology (Wildlife Section), University of Karachi, Karachi-75270, Pakistan
  • Muhammad Zaheer Khan Department of Zoology (Wildlife Section), University of Karachi, Karachi-75270, Pakistan
  • Roohi Kanwal Department of Zoology (Wildlife Section), University of Karachi, Karachi-75270, Pakistan
  • Hans Volker Karl .Friedrich-Schiller-University of Jena, Dpt. Pre-historic and Early historic Archeology, Löbdergraben 24a, 07743 Jena, Germany

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/jzr.v3i1.2880

Abstract

In the present work on population status, threats and conservation of thespotted pond turtle; Geoclemys hamiltonii (Gray, 1830) (Geoemydidae)was conducted in Thatta, Sujawal and Badin districts of Sindh provinceof Pakistan. A total number of 277 live specimens of G. hamiltonii fromsoutheast province (Sindh) of Pakistan have been collected from differentwater bodies and sites in three consecutive year’s i.e 2015-2017. Thepopulation status of G. hamiltonii has recorded as decreasing in Sindhdue to habitat destruction, eutrophication, agricultural farming and someother anthropogenic activities. This species is mostly used as pet and thepoachers mostly carrying this species for trade in East Asian countries. Theglobally illegal trading hubs of this species are Bangkok, Taiwan and HongKong. More and powerful actions and efforts are needed to raise awarenessof smuggling of wildlife, with a specific need of formal memorandums ofunderstanding (MOUs) are strongly encouraged south Asian and east Asiancountries to control illegal trade between the countries and territories alongthe trade route of Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Thailand, Hong Kong andTaiwan to improve cross border enforcement.

Keywords:

Population status; Threats; Conservation; Geoclemys hamiltonii

References

[1] Khan MZ., Kanwal R., Ghalib SA., Fatima F., Zehra A., Siddiqui S, Yasmeen G., Safi A., Hashmi MUA.,Hussain B., Iqbal MA., Manzoor U. and Ubaid Ullah.(2016), A review of distribution, threats,conservation and status of freshwater turtles in Sindh. Canadian Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences. 10(3): 3997-4009.

[2] Broad, S., Mulliken, T. and Roe, D. (2003). The nature and extent of legal and illegal trade in wildlife.In: Oldfield, S., (Ed), The trade in wildlife. Regulation for conservation. London, Flora and Fauna International, Resource Africa and TRAFFIC International. pp 3-22.

[3] McNeely, J. A., Kapoor-Vijay, P., Zhi, L. et al. (2009).Conservation biology in Asia: the major policy challenges. Conservation Biology 23:805-810.

[4] Nijman, V. (2010). An overview of international wildlife trade from Southeast Asia. Biodiversity and Conservation 19(4):1101-1114.

[5] Compton, J. (2000). An Overview of Asian Turtle Trade. In: van Dijk, P. P., Stuart B. L. and Rhodin,A. G. J. (Eds), Asian Turtle Trade: Proceedings of a Workshop on Conservation and Trade of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises in Asia, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 1-4 December 1999. Chelonian Research Monographs 2, Chelonian Research Foundation, Lunenburg, Massachusetts, USA, pp 24-29.

[6] Van Dijk, P. P., Stuart, B. L. and Rhodin, A. G. J.2000. (Eds) Asian Turtle Trade: Proceedings of a Workshop on Conservation and Trade of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises in Asia. Chelonian Research Monographs 2, Chelonian Research Foundation,Lunenburg, Massachusetts, USA.

[7] Gong, S. P., Chow, A. T., Fong, J. J. and Shi, H. T.(2009). The chelonian trade in the largest pet market in China: scale, scope and impact on turtle conservation. Oryx 43:213-216.

[8] Lyons, J. A., Natusch, D. J. D. and Shepherd, C. R.(2013). The harvest of freshwater turtles (Chelidae) from Papua, Indonesia, for the international pet trade.Oryx 47:298-302.

[9] IUCN (2021) IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.Version 2021. www.iucnredlist.org (Accessed 2 February, 2021).

[10] www.trafficj.org

[11] Safi, A., Khan, M.Z., Hashmi, MAU., Kanwal R and Karl H.V. 2020. Some aspects of Morphometry,Systematics and Bio-geography of the Freshwater Turtles, Pangshura (Testudines: Geoemydidae) of Pakistan. Journal of Environmental sciences. 2(1)(2020): 26-35.

[12] www.wikipedia.org

[13] Das, I., (1995), Turtles and tortoises of India. World Wide Fund for Nature- India. Bombay: Oxford University Press, pp.176.

[14] Das, I. and Bhupathy, S. (2010). Geoclemys hamiltonii (Gray 1830) – Black Spotted Turtle, Black Pond Turtle. In: In: Rhodin, A. G. J., Pritchard, P. C. H.,van Dijk, P. P., Saumure, R. A., Buhlmann, K. A.,Iverson, J. B., and Mittermeier, R. A. (eds). Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises:A Compilation Project of the IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group.Chelonian Research Monographs 5. Chelonian Research Foundation, Lunenburg, Massachusetts, USA, pp 043.1-043.6. doi:10.3854/crm.5.043.hamiltonii.v1.2010.

[15] Minton SA. (1966), A contribution to the Herpetology of West Pakistan. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat.Hist.1966; 134: 29-184.

[16] Rashid, S.M.A. and Swingland, I.R. 1997. On the ecology of some freshwater turtles in Bangladesh.In: J. Van Abbema (ed.). Proceedings: Conservation,Restoration, and Management of Tortoises and TurtlesAn International Conference New York Turtle and Tortoise Society, New York: 225-242.

[17] Das, I. 1991. Colour Guide to The Turtles and Tortoises of the Indian Subcontinent. R&A Publishing Ltd, Postishead, U.K.

[18] Choudhury B.C., Bhupathy, S. and Hanfee, F. 2000.Status information on the tortoises and freshwater turtles of India. In: P.P. van Dijk, B.L. Stuart and A.G.J. Rhodin (eds), Asian Turtle Trade: Proceedings of a Workshop on Conservation and Trade of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises in Asia. In: P.P. van Dijk,B.L. Stuart and A.G.J. Rhodin (eds), Asian Turtle Trade: Proceedings of a Workshop on Conservation and Trade of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises in Asia. Chelonian Research Monographs No. 2, pp.86–94. Chelonian Research Foundation, Lunenburg,MA, USA.

[19] Ahmed, M.F. and Das, A. 2010. Tortoises and Turtles of Northeast India: Saving them from Extinction!Survey, Assessment of Present Status and Conservation of Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles in Northeast India. Technical Report, Aaranyak, HRCI: 01/2010.Guwahati, India.

[20] Rashid, S.M.A., and Khan, S.M.M.H. 2000. Trade and Conservation Status of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises in Bangladesh. In: P.P. van Dijk, B.L. Stuart and A.G.J. Rhodin (eds), Asian Turtle Trade: Proceedings of a Workshop on Conservation and Trade of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises in Asia. Chelonian Research Monographs No. 2, pp. 77-85. Chelonian Research Foundation, Lunenburg,MA, USA.

[21] Akbar, M., Mushtaq-ul-Hussan, M. and Zaib-u-Nisa.2006. Distribution of freshwater Turtles in Punjab.Pakistan. Caspian. J. Env. Sci. 4(2):142-146.

[22] Khan, MZ., Safi, A., Fatima, F., Ghalib, SA., Hashmi, MUA., Khan, IS., Siddiqui, S., Zehra, A.and Hussain, B. (2015). An Evaluation of Distribution,Status and Abundance of Freshwater Turtles in Selected areas of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provinces of Pakistan. Canadian Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences. 9(1):3201-3219.

[23] Noureen, U. (2009). Freshwater Turtles of Pakistan:Illegal trade in Sindh: Preliminary findings of trade in Freshwater Turtle Parts. A survey report submitted to the Ministry of Environment’s Pakistan Wetlands Programme. pp 36.

[24] Ceballos, C. P. and Fitzgerald, L. A. (2004). The trade in native and exotic turtles in Texas. Wildlife Society Bulletin 32(3): 881-891.

[25] Nijman, V., Todd, M. and Shepherd, C. R. (2012).Wildlife trade as an impediment to conservation as exemplified by the trade in reptiles in Southeast Asia. Biotic Evolution and Environmental Change in Southeast Asia 82:390.

[26] IUCN TFTSG and ATTWG (IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group and Asian Turtle Trade Working Group). 2000. Recommended changes to 1996 IUCN Red List Status of Asian turtle species. In: P.P. van Dijk, B.L. Stuart and A.G.J. Rhodin (eds), Asian Turtle Trade:Proceedings of a Workshop on Conservation and Trade of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises in Asia. Chelonian Research Monographs,Number 2, pp. 156-164. Chelonian Research Foundation, Lunenburg, MA, USA.

[27] Chng, S.C.L 2014. Escalating Black Spotted Turtle Geoclemys hamiltonii trade in Asia: a study of seizures TRAFFIC, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

[28] Praschag, P., Ahmed, M.F. & Singh, S. 2019. Geoclemys hamiltonii (errata version published in 2019).The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019:e.T9029A152050337.

Downloads

Issue

Vol. 3 , Iss. 1 (January 2021)

Article Type

Articles

License

Copyright and Licensing

The authors shall retain the copyright of their work but allow the Publisher to publish, copy, distribute, and convey the work.

Journal of Zoological Research publishes accepted manuscripts under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). Authors who submit their papers for publication by Journal of Zoological Research agree to have the CC BY-NC 4.0 license applied to their work, and that anyone is allowed to reuse the article or part of it free of charge for non-commercial use. As long as you follow the license terms and original source is properly cited, anyone may copy, redistribute the material in any medium or format, remix, transform, and build upon the material.

License Policy for Reuse of Third-Party Materials

If a manuscript submitted to the journal contains the materials which are held in copyright by a third-party, authors are responsible for obtaining permissions from the copyright holder to reuse or republish any previously published figures, illustrations, charts, tables, photographs, and text excerpts, etc. When submitting a manuscript, official written proof of permission must be provided and clearly stated in the cover letter.
The editorial office of the journal has the right to reject/retract articles that reuse third-party materials without permission.

Journal Policies on Data Sharing

We encourage authors to share articles published in our journal to other data platforms, but only if it is noted that it has been published in this journal.