Ecological studies to conserve the endemic Philippine forest turtle, Palawan, Philippines

Diverlie Acosta

The Palawan endemic Philippine Forest Turtle (Siebenrockiella leytensis) ranks among the top 25 most Critically Endangered turtles in the world. Knowledge on this species' habitat requirements and reasons for the limited distribution are negligible so there is an urgent need for ecological studies. The overall goal of this project is to down-grade the species to Endangered. Studies that help us understand what delimits its distribution in northern Palawan and which ones are the interactions with other widely distributed species are of great interest and will help to better understand and conserve the species.