A Global Analysis of Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Distributions with Identification of Priority Conservation Areas

By K. Buhlmann, T. Akre, J. Iverson, D. Karapatakis, R. Mittermeier, Arthur Georges, A. Rhodin, P. V. Dijk, J. Gibbons. 2009

269 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Abstract There are currently ca. 317 recognized species of turtles and tortoises in the world. Of those that have been assessed on the IUCN Red List, 63% are considered threatened, and 10% are critically endangered, with ca. 42% of all known turtle species threatened. Without directed strategic conservation planning, a significant portion of turtle diversity could be lost over the next century. Toward that conservation effort, we compiled museum and literature occurrence records for all of the world's tortoises and freshwater turtle species to determine their distributions and identify priority regions for conservation. We constructed projected range maps for each species by selecting geographic information system–defined hydrologic unit compartments (HUCs) with verified locality points, and then added HUCs that connected known point localities in the same watershed or physiographic region and that had similar habitats and elevations as the verified HUCs. We analyzed a total of 305 turtle species and assigned each to 1 of 7 geographic regions of the world. Patterns of global turtle species distributions were determined and regional areas of turtle species richness identified. In only 2 areas of the world did as many as 18 or 19 species occur together in individual HUCs. We then compared species distributions with existing global conservation strategies (GCSs) and established biodiversity priority areas. Presence of a species in a GCS was defined as ≥ 5% its range. Of the 34 biodiversity hotspots, 28 collectively contain the projected ranges of 192 turtle species, with 74 endemic; the 5 high-biodiversity wilderness areas contain 72 species, with 17 endemic; and 16 other wilderness areas contain 52 species, with 1 endemic. However, 116 turtle species have either < 50% of their ranges in existing GCSs (57 species) or do not occur in them at all (59 species, 19.3%), thus potentially leaving many tortoises and freshwater turtles without any regional GCS. For each of these 116 species we identify a priority Ecoregion for further conservation consideration, and we identify 3 new global Turtle Priority Areas for conservation based on aggregated Ecoregions. These are the Southeastern United States, Lower Gangetic Plain, and Coastal Australia Turtle Priority Areas.

Subfields: Ecology, Nature and Landscape Conservation

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/058cfc0c89cd900b2d17da3a5eb1909617fd92d6

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In Ecology

In Nature and Landscape Conservation

Citations in the corpus

Global Conservation Status of Turtles and Tortoises (Order Testudines) (2018, background): “11D. Additionally, Iverson (1992b), Buhlmann et al. (2009), Mittermeier et al. (2015), Ennen et al. (2017), Roll et al. (2017), and TTWG (2017) have also provided similar maps and analyses of turtle distribution patterns, global turtle hotspots, and priority areas of conservation concern.”
The conservation status of the world's reptiles (2013, result): “tened (46–57%), thus mirroring the alarming trends reported elsewhere (Buhlmann et al., 2009).”
On the brink of extinction? How climate change may affect global chelonian species richness and distribution (2012, methodology): “…in molecular methods have led to different taxonomic classifications for chelonians, which are currently debated in the scientific community and so far no final consensus has been reached (e.g., compare Fritz & Havas, 2007; Bour, 2008; Buhlmann et al., 2009; Turtle Taxonomy Working Group, 2010).”
Turtle Hotspots: An Analysis of the Occurrence of Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles in Biodiversity Hotspots, High-Biodiversity Wilderness Areas, and Turtle Priority Areas (2015, methodology): “Turtle Priority Areas (TPA) were defined by Buhlmann et al. (2009).”