Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

A model assessing the conservation threats to freshwater turtles of Sub-Saharan Africa predicts urgent need for continental conservation planning

  • Brief Communication
  • Published:
Biodiversity and Conservation Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Global assessment of conservation threats to several taxonomic groups are urgently needed for species living in regions of the world where field research is curtailed by logistic or economic constraints. For instance, it is now widely recognized that freshwater turtles represent one of the most endangered groups of vertebrates in the world. This situation has been particularly evident with Asian species. Although in Sub-Saharan Africa species are exposed to very similar threats (e.g., intense hunting for food and traditional medicine, habitat loss, collection for the pet trade, etc.), there is no comparable concern in the international conservation community simply because the African species are still too poorly known. Here, I propose a model for analyzing the threat levels to freshwater turtles of Sub-Saharan Africa and I test this model by taking into consideration a series of six risk variables of distribution and ecology. Each variable was categorized into five ranks (0–4) of increasing survival risk. The results, although preliminary, show a great sensitivity of most species. This strongly contrasts with the fact that apart from Malagasy endemics very few species are currently considered as threatened according to IUCN lists. There were clear differences among-families in the major threats. Softshell turtles are especially threatened because their large body size makes them a very good food source for native populations. The single podocnemidid species is also vulnerable, and is particularly sensitive to human hunting for domestic consumption. Concerning the Pelomedusidae, there are several species that are considered by the model as sensitive or highly sensitive to rarity. They are affected by a combination of threats (Extent of distribution in Sub-Saharan Africa, Habitat breadth, Habits, Likeliness of human direct/indirect persecution, and Habitat vulnerability). The conservation implications of these results are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

References

  • Adetular VAO (1996) Oil and the people of Niger Delta: a case study of economic, social and cultural impacts of oil pollution. Centre for Development Studies, Jos, Nigeria

    Google Scholar 

  • Akani GC, Capizzi D, Luiselli L (2001) Diet of the softshell turtle, Trionyx triunguis, in an Afrotropical forested region. Chelonian Conserv Biol 4:200–201

    Google Scholar 

  • Andreone F, Luiselli L (2000) The Italian batrachofauna and its conservation status: a statistical assessment. Biol Conserv 96:197–208. doi:10.1016/S0006-3207(00)00070-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andreone F, Luiselli L (2003) Conservation priorities and potential threats influencing the hyper-diverse amphibians of Madagascar. Ital J Zool (Modena) 70:53–63

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bour R, Maran J (2003) Une nouvelle éspece de Pelusios de Cote d’Ivoire. Manouria 6(21):24–43

    Google Scholar 

  • Branch B (1988) Field guide to the snakes and other reptiles of southern Africa. New Holland publishers, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Carbone M (2003) Morte di un delta. Airone 260:52–60

    Google Scholar 

  • Caughley G (1994) Directions in conservation biology. J Anim Ecol 63:215–244. doi:10.2307/5542

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eniang EA, Egwali EC, Luiselli LM, Ayodele IA, Akani GC, Pacini N (2006) Snake bushmeat from the forest markets of south-eastern Nigeria. Natura 95(2):33–46

    Google Scholar 

  • Ennis GP, Fogart MJ (1997) Recruitment overfishing reference point for the American lobster, Homarus americanus. Mar Freshw Res 48:1029–1034. doi:10.1071/MF97201

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ernst CH, Barbour RW (1989) Turtles of the world. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • Fa JE, Peres CA, Meeuwig J (2001) Bushmeat exploitation in tropical forests: an intercontinental comparison. Conserv Biol 16:232–237. doi:10.1046/j.1523-1739.2002.00275.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fa JE, Ryan SF, Bell DJ (2005) Hunting vulnerability, ecological characteristics and harvest rates of bushmeat species in Afrotropical forests. Biol Conserv 121:167–176. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2004.04.016

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferri V (2003) Tartarughe e testuggini. Mondadori, Milano

    Google Scholar 

  • Filippi E, Luiselli L (2000) Status of the Italian snake fauna and assessment of conservation threats. Biol Conserv 93:219–225. doi:10.1016/S0006-3207(99)00138-X

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fletcher CS, Hilbert DW (2007) Resilience in landscape exploitation systems. Ecol Modell 201:440–452. doi:10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2006.10.011

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freitag S, van Jaarsveld AS (1997) Relative occupancy, endemism, taxonomic distinctness and vulnerability: prioritising regional conservation actions. Biodivers Conserv 6:211–232. doi:10.1023/A:1018392019594

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fritz U, Havas P (2007) Checklist of Chelonians of the World. Downloadable from CITES, Geneve

  • Gasperetti J, Stimson AF, Miller JD, Ross JP, Gasperetti PR (1993) Turtles of Arabia. Fauna Saudi Arab 13:170–367

    Google Scholar 

  • Gaston KJ (1994) Rarity. Chapman and Hall, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Gerlach J (2002a) First results of radio-tracking black mud turtles Pelusios subniger parietalis. Phelsuma 10:58–60

    Google Scholar 

  • Gerlach J (2002b) Seychelles terrapin action plan. Phelsuma 10B:1–16

    Google Scholar 

  • Gerlach J (2004) Seychelles chelonia in 2002. Turt Tortoise Newsl 7:8–11

    Google Scholar 

  • Gerlach J (2006) The Vertebrates of Seychelles. Privately Published, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Gerlach J (2008) Fragmentation and demography as causes of population decline in Seychelles freshwater turtles (genus Pelusios). Chelonian Conserv Biol 7:78–87

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gerlach J, Canning KL (2001) Range contractions in the critically endangered Seychelles terrapins (Pelusios spp.). Oryx 35:313–320. doi:10.1046/j.1365-3008.2001.00203.x

    Google Scholar 

  • Glaw F, Vences M (1994) A fieldguide to the amphibians and reptiles of Madagascar. M. Vences & F. Glaw Verlag, Köln

    Google Scholar 

  • Iverson JB (1992) A revised checklist with distribution maps of the turtles of the world. Privately Printed, Richmond

    Google Scholar 

  • Kerr JT (1997) Species richness, endemism, and choice of areas for conservation. Conserv Biol 11:1094–1100. doi:10.1046/j.1523-1739.1997.96089.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuchling G (1988) Population structure, reproductive potential and increasing exploitation of the freshwater turtle Erymnochelys madagascariensis. Biol Conserv 43:107–113. doi:10.1016/0006-3207(88)90085-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lambeck RJ (1997) Focal points: a multi-species umbrella for nature conservation. Conserv Biol 11:849–856. doi:10.1046/j.1523-1739.1997.96319.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lawson DP (2000) Local harvest of hingeback tortoises, Kinixys erosa and K. homeana, in southwestern Cameroon. Chelonian Conserv Biol 3:722–729

    Google Scholar 

  • Leuteritz TE, Gerlach J, Mittermeier RA, Rhodin AGJ, van Dijk PP, Lewis R et al (2008) Turtles and tortoises of Madagascar and adjacent Indian ocean Islands. Conservation International, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • Luiselli L (1998) Food habits of the Pelomedusid turtle Pelusios castaneus castaneus in southeastern Nigeria. Chelonian Conserv Biol 3:106–107

    Google Scholar 

  • Luiselli L, Akani GC (2003) An indirect assessment of the effects of oil pollution on the diversity and functioning of turtle communities in the Niger Delta, Nigeria. Anim Biodivers Conserv 26:55–63

    Google Scholar 

  • Luiselli L, Politano E, Angelici FM (2000) Ecological correlates of the distribution of terrestrial and freshwater chelonians in the Niger Delta, Nigeria: a biodiversity assessment with conservation implications. Rev Ecol (Terre Vie) 55:3–23

    Google Scholar 

  • Luiselli L, Politano E, Akani GC (2003) Seasonal incidence, sex-ratio, and population cohorts of hinge-back tortoises (genus Kinixys) in the wild and in bush-meat markets of the Niger Delta, southern Nigeria: are human predation effects random? Rev Ecol (Terre Vie) 58:243–248

    Google Scholar 

  • Luiselli L, Akani GC, Politano E, Odegbune E, Bello O (2004) Dietary shifts of sympatric freshwater turtles in pristine and oil-polluted habitats of the Niger Delta, southern Nigeria. Herpetol J 14:57–64

    Google Scholar 

  • Luiselli L, Akani GC, Politano E (2006a) Effects of habitat alteration caused by petrochemical activities and oil spills on the habitat use and interspecific relationships among four species of Afrotropical freshwater turtles. Biodivers Conserv 15:3751–3767. doi:10.1007/s10531-005-1879-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luiselli L, Akani GC, Bello OA, Angelici FM, Ude L (2006b) Home range area may vary considerably in relation to habitat contamination in two African terrapins from pristine and oil polluted habitats. Amphib-reptil 27:255–261. doi:10.1163/156853806777239896

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luiselli L, Politano E, Lea J (2006c) Assessment of the vulnerable status of Kinixys homeana Bell, 1827 (Testudines: Testudinidae) according to the IUCN red list categories and criteria version 3.1. Chelonian Conserv Biol 5:130–138

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manne LL, Brooks TM, Pimm SL (1999) Relative risk of extinction of passerine birds on continents and islands. Nature 399:258–261. doi:10.1038/20436

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Myers N, Mittermeier RA, Mittermeier CG, Da Fonseca GAB, Kent J (2000) Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature 403:853–858. doi:10.1038/35002501

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ogbogbo CBN (2004) The Niger Delta and the resource control conflict since 1960–1995. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Ibadan, Nigeria

  • Sadovy Y (2001) The threat of fishing to highly fecund fishes. J Fish Biol 59:90–108

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Santos X, Brito JC, Pleguezuelos JM, Llorente GA (2007) Comparing Filippi and Luiselli’s (2000) method with a cartographic approach to assess the conservation status of secretive species: the case of the Iberian snake-fauna. Amphib-reptil 28:17–24. doi:10.1163/156853807779799072

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Turpie JK (1995) Prioritizing South-African estuaries for conservation: a practical example using waterbirds. Biol Conserv 74:175–185. doi:10.1016/0006-3207(95)00028-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Turtle Conservation Fund (2002) A global action plan for conservation of tortoises and freshwater turtles. Conservation International and Chelonian Research Foundation, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Dijk PP, Stuart BL, Rhodin AGJ (eds) (2000) Asian turtle trade. Chelonian Res Monogr 2: 1–164

  • Various Authors (2005) L’Enciclopedia Geografica: vol 11, Africa settentrionale e occidentale & vol 12, Africa centrale e meridionale. Istituto Geografico De Agostini, Milano

  • Vetter H (2002) Turtles of the World vol 1: Africa, Europe and Western Asia. Chimaira Edition, Frankfurt am Main

  • Villiers A (1958) Tortues et crocodiles de l’Afrique Noire Francaise. Institute Fundamentale de l’Afrique Noire, Dakar

    Google Scholar 

  • Walker RCJ, Rix CE, Woods-Ballard AJ (2004) The legal and illegal trade in the Madagascar spider tortoise Pyxis arachnoides, for the exotic pet trade. Herpetol Bull 90:2–9

    Google Scholar 

  • Watters J, Meehan C (2005) Different strokes: can managing behavioral types increase post-release success? Appl Anim Behav Sci 102:364–379. doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2006.05.036

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zar JH (1999) Biostatistical analysis. Prentice Hall, New York

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

I gratefully thank The Turtle Conservation Fund (year 2004), Conservation International, the Chelonian Research Foundation, and the institutions Demetra s.r.l., Snamprogetti s.p.a., and Agip Nigeria for having funded several steps of my field research in Africa, that have been the scientific background of this article. Four anonymous reviewers are thanked for having considerably improved a previous draft of this manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre of Environmental Studies ‘Demetra s.r.l.’ and F.I.Z.V., via Olona 7, 00198, Rome, Italy

    Luca Luiselli

Authors
  1. Luca Luiselli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Luca Luiselli.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Luiselli, L. A model assessing the conservation threats to freshwater turtles of Sub-Saharan Africa predicts urgent need for continental conservation planning. Biodivers Conserv 18, 1349–1360 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-008-9486-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-008-9486-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation