Freshwater turtle conservation in the Nanling Nature Reserve, Guangdong, China

Shiping Gong

The Nanling Nature Reserve is located in the Nanling Mountain Ecoregion, northern Guangdong, one of the globally critical areas for biodiversity conservation. It has at least 7 endangered freshwater turtle species which are endangered due to pressures from illegal trade and collection. However, little has been done to evaluate the impact of illegal activities on wild populations or to conserve the endangered turtles. This project aims to 1) rapidly determine the status of wild turtle populations by fieldwork and questionnaires, 2) evaluate the impact of human activities on wild populations by market survey and interviewing, 3) use a “Research- Recommendation-Action-Participation” strategy to explore possible conservation solutions.