Prioritizing the next decade of freshwater turtle and tortoise conservation in West Africa

Luiselli, Luca; Diagne, Tomas; McGovern, P.T.

doi:10.1016/j.jnc.2021.125977

Cited by 15 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Our study did not reveal the presence of the Critically Endangered C. elegans, possibly totally extirpated from Ghana and from the whole of West Africa (Luiselli et al, 2021). Cyclanorbis elegans, was historically known to occur in the Guinean savannah rivers of Ghana and one of the most threatened species in the world (Gramentz, 2008;Baker et al, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 55%

“…This species has been recently rediscovered in South Sudan (Demaya et al, 2019a(Demaya et al, , 2019b, whereas no individual has been observed in Ghana (and in the rest of West Africa) since several decades (Stanford et al, 2018). Thus, our surveys were also important in order to con rm the likely extinction of West African populations of this Critically Endangered species (IUCN, 2020;Luiselli et al, 2021).Trionyx triunguis populations are threatened in West Africa (Segniagbeto et al, 2014;IUCN, 2020), and the fact that we captured 15 different individuals of this species, from four distinct localities, suggests that this species is still relatively widespread in Ghana. We recommend that Ghana may become a country of rst choice for promoting the conservation and management of T. triunguis in the West African Region.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Community Characteristics of Sympatric Freshwater Turtles from Savannah Waterbodies in Ghana

et al. 2021

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Despite increasing pressures on freshwater resources worldwide, and the threatened status of most freshwater turtles, there is still limited knowledge of habitat use and niche partitioning in Afrotropical freshwater turtle communities. In this study, we describe habitat associations, community diversity, and temporal patterns of occurrence of freshwater turtle species in the Dahomey Gap ecoregion of Ghana (West Africa). We gathered data from 13 sites in central Ghana and along the Sene Arm of Lake Volta in the Digya National Park (Bono East Region). We employed opportunistic short-term surveys (at seven sites) together with longer-term (six-months duration) standardized evaluations of turtle presence and numbers in different habitats (at six sites). In addition, we interviewed shers in the Lake Volta area to explore their perception about turtle abundance trends. Overall, 210 turtle individuals belonging to four species (Trionyx triunguis, Cyclanorbis senegalensis, Pelomedusa sp. and Pelusios castaneus) were recorded; for 139 individuals the precise capture sites and habitat type were recorded, whereas 71 individuals were observed in market places and were not considered in our analyses. We observed three sympatric species at the local scale of the various study sites. In each site, the dominant species was either C. senegalensis or Pelomedusa sp. However, Pelomedusa sp. was the most abundant species in temporary waterbodies whereas C. senegalensis was more numerous in permanent ones. A Multiple Correspondence Analysis visualized that, in permanent waterbodies all species were associated with similar physical habitat variables. C. senegalensis and T. triunguis were more abundant in localities containing woody emergent vegetation and inorganic substrate. In a Canonical Correspondence Analysis, we show that the density of herbaceous emergent vegetation was more important for P. castaneus than for C. senegalensis. Interviews with local people suggested that freshwater turtles do not have any special marketing interest for them, but that over shing may have considerably affected the population density of these semiaquatic reptiles. Overall, Comparisons of diversity metrics between our study areas and previous literature revealed that turtle community composition was substantially the same, both qualitatively and quantitatively, all throughout the savannahs of West Africa.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 55%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Community Characteristics of Sympatric Freshwater Turtles from Savannah Waterbodies in Ghana

et al. 2021

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“…Loss of connectivity of wetland habitat can be detrimental to terrapins by increasing the chances of local extinctions and reducing re-colonization opportunities (Serrano et al, 2020). Of the 105 species of Chelonian currently listed as data deficient, not listed, or not evaluated by the IUCN, 31% are found in Africa (Luiselli et al, 2021). Our own targeted species, the serrated hinged terrapin, falls within this category of not evaluated, whereas the marsh terrapin is considered least concern, the methods implemented in our research can be repeated and replicated to do further long-term remote monitoring of more threatened species of terrapin, particularly in West Africa (Luiselli et al, 2021).…”

Section: Implications For Conservationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Presence And Temporal Activities Of Serrated Hinged Terrapin (Pelusios sinuatus) And Marsh Terrapin (Pelomedusa galeata) In KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, Assessed Using Telemetry

Price

Burnett

O’Brien

et al. 2022

Tropical Conservation Science

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Background and Aims For the first time in Africa, two freshwater turtle species (hereafter terrapin) presence and temporal activity in their habitats were investigated using radio telemetry. Methods Telemeter tags were attached to Pelusios sinuatus ( n = 10) at Ndumo Reserve and Pelomedusa galeata ( n = 10) at Tala Reserve. Pelusios sinuatus tagged individuals were monitored between August–December 2016 at Ndumo, while P. galeata individuals were monitored between November 2017–July 2018 at Tala. Sensors on the tag determined the tag temperature and temporal activity. We examined both species' frequency distributions of inactivity to time of day. Activity trends for both species in comparison with ambient temperature and tag temperature were analyzed. Results Tags showed individuals presence or absence as detected by fixed remote networks at the study sites. Tagged P. sinuatus in Ndumo disappeared after a flood without returning after the flood receded. Both species were diurnal, with P. galeata showing a greater ability to maintain tag temperature above ambient temperature in the first 10 h of a day than P. sinuatus. Climatic data, including ambient temperature, rainfall, and wind, were retrieved from weather stations. The most significant climatic variable that affected activity was ambient temperature. Rainfall also showed a significant effect, but wind showed no significant effect. Implications for Conservation This method can become a valuable tool for long-term remote monitoring of other semi-aquatic reptiles in wetlands that are increasingly under anthropogenic and climatic pressure. Thus, its implications for conservation are significant.

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“…The establishment of priority areas for conservation is essential to guide efficient and effective actions for the maintenance and recovery of wild species, especially those threatened by direct exploitation by humans (Félix and Martins 1999;Wallace et al 2010). Chelonians are historically exploited as a food and medicinal resource in several regions of the world (Luiselli et al 2021;Rueda-Almonacid et al 2007;Santos and Fiori 2020), with emphasis on those that concentrate a high diversity of species of the group and low socioeconomic development, such as Southeast Asia and the Amazon region (Alho, 1985;Rhodin et al 2018;Turtle Conservation Coalition 2011). This anthropic pressure promotes an increased risk of extinction of chelonian species, motivated by population decline resulting from the destruction of natural habitats and direct capture for consumption (Lovich et al 2018;Stanford et al 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Priority areas and integrated actions for the conservation of Amazonian turtle populations historically over-exploited by humans

Gamba¹,

Falcon²,

Simoncini³

et al. 2022

Ethnobio Conserv

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The definition of priority areas for conservation and integrated management actions are essential for the effective maintenance and recovery of natural populations, especially for species overexploited by humans. Amazonian chelonians are a food resource historically used by people, resulting in the decline of species populations and worsening the risk of local extinctions. In this paper, we establish priority areas and define integrated conservation actions for populations of three Amazonian chelonians most threatened by human consumption in Brazil (Podocnemis expansa, P. unifilis and P. sextuberculata).To do so, we used 15 prioritization criteria (ecological, logistical and socioeconomic) estimated with 30 years monitoring data in 15 areas by the Amazon Chelonian Program (in portugues Projeto Quelonios da Amazonia, PQA). Each criterion presented four levels of priority with scores increasing according to the relevance for conservation of chelonian populations. The sum of the scores obtained in each area of the PQA allowed a ranking and four categories of importance for conservation to be defined. We also analyzed the similarity of scores among areas of the PQA and among the prioritization criteria to evaluate the application of integrated conservation action strategies. The areas of PQA were classified as

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Prioritizing the next decade of freshwater turtle and tortoise conservation in West Africa

Cited by 15 publications

References 45 publications

Community Characteristics of Sympatric Freshwater Turtles from Savannah Waterbodies in Ghana

Community Characteristics of Sympatric Freshwater Turtles from Savannah Waterbodies in Ghana

Presence And Temporal Activities Of Serrated Hinged Terrapin (Pelusios sinuatus) And Marsh Terrapin (Pelomedusa galeata) In KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, Assessed Using Telemetry

Priority areas and integrated actions for the conservation of Amazonian turtle populations historically over-exploited by humans

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