Conservation of turtles in Vietnam: a survey of Cat Tien National Park (original) (raw)
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Five species of foraging and breeding sea turtles have been identified in Vietnam, they are Green turtle (Chelonia mydas), Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), Olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) and Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea). Among them, with the exception of Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), four species have been being lay eggs on the beaches along the country. However, these populations have been strongly suffered by human activities for decades. The number of foraging and breeding Hawksbill and Leatherback sea turtles has dramatically decreased, and Olive Ridley turtle has almost disappeared on their traditional nesting beaches. Beside the reason of harvesting eggs and nesting turtles by catch or by purpose, the developments in coastal areas where sea turtles laying eggs such as in shrimp aquaculture, tourist resort and residential area developments etc., also contributed to this decline of sea turtles. Despite the fact that the recent raising awareness programs on protection and conservation of the sea turtle were very well done with the participation of many organizations and provinces, this important animals still face the risk of extinction in Vietnam.
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CHELONIAN RESEARCH MONOGRAPHS (ISSN 1 088-7 105) is an international peer-reviewed scientific publication series for monograph-length manuscripts, collected proceedings of symposia, edited compilations, and other longer turtle-related research documents. The series accepts contributions dealing with any aspects of chelonian research, with a preference for conservation or biology. Manuscripts or edited compilations dealing with conservation biology, systematic relationships, chelonian diversity, geographic distribution, natural history, ecology, reproduction, morphology and natural variation, population status, husbandry, and human exploitation or conservation management issues are of special interest. Bibliographic and other reference materials are also of interest. Submit manuscripts directly to A.G.J.
Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 2020
1. Next to cetaceans and megafishes, freshwater turtles are the most iconic endangered freshwater species. 2. A detailed questionnaire survey conducted with more than 100 individuals from fishing communities in northern Vietnam was used to investigate the current status of Southeast Asian turtles and provides new hope concerning the survival of Rafetus swinhoei, for which recent official records in the wild are limited to a single individual in Vietnam. 3. The survey included the entire Vietnamese portion of the Da River in Hoa Binh and Son La provinces, as well as the Chu and Ma river system in Thanh Hoa Province, as they are the last sites where the world's rarest and largest Asian softshell turtle has been seen. The questionnaire, conducted in Vietnamese, focused on demographic details, fishing intensity and gear, the status of fishing grounds, and the frequency of interaction with turtles. 4. The great majority of fishers could recognize different turtle species from photographs and describe their preferential breeding habitats; not all knew that they are protected. A few confirmed that more than once each year they still encounter freshwater turtles during their fishing activities. 5. This survey provides detailed information on sites where freshwater turtles are still seen in northern Vietnam and broadens our hope that wild individuals of the extremely rare R. swinhoei may still be present in the remaining riparian wetlands of these biodiverse, dammed, and controlled river basins in North Vietnam.
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Sea turtles are an important umbrella species in marine ecosystems. The populations of all five species of sea turtles in China have dropped sharply due to massive illegal trade and habitat loss. The fast-growing demand for sea turtle displays from Chinese aquariums and private individuals has led to a large-scale illegal trade domestically and internationally. Captive sea turtles are also frequently kept in harsh environments with severe injuries and high mortality rates. Sea turtles have only recently been upgraded from level II to level I on the ''List of Wildlife under Special State Protection'', this protection level has therefore not matched the real status of sea turtles over the past three decades. The additional collusion between the government and business corporations encourages illegal trade. We argue that the commercial use of sea turtles must be completely prohibited to guarantee their future survival in Chinese waters.
Status of marine turtle populations in Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh and Phu Yen provinces, Vietnam
Before 1980s, the study areas were a big nesting ground for sea turtles in Vietnam. Three species of sea turtle used to nest here including Green turtle (Chelonia mydas), Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) and Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea). The most important beaches can be listed as follows: long beach at Binh Son, Long beach at Hoai Nhon, Cat Tien beach at Phu Cat, Xep beach at Dong Hoa. The foraging population of sea turtle concentrated from the rock reef of Nhon Ly (Binh Dinh) to Tuy An (Phu Yen). This area has a number of rock reefs and coral reefs, suitable for sea turtle living and foraging. Recently, only Green turtle are still nesting at Hon Kho and Hai Giang beaches (Nhon Hai district, Binh Dinh) with a small number (about 5 to 10 individuals per year). The other beaches sometimes have sea turtles observed to nest but with very small number (1 or 2 individuals per year) and not frequently.