SREL Reprint #1828

Conservation of turtles: the Chelonian dilemma

Vincent J. Burke1,2, Nat S. Frazer1,3, and J. Whitfield Gibbons1,2

1Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Drawer E, Aiken, South Carolina 29802 USA
2Department of Zoology, Univ. of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602 USA
3Mercer University, Mercer University, Macon, Georgia 31207 USA

Introduction: It is becoming evident that the Order Testudines contains an alarming number of species that require conservation efforts. The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service lists 30 turtle species as either endangered or threatened with extinction. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) lists 81 turtle species on its Red List of Threatened Animals. We suggest that turtles may be especially vulnerable to population decline because they exhibit reproductive strategies incompatible with exploitation of significant loss of habitat. Our intent is to place the decline of sea turtles into the broader context of the decline of chelonians. Before proceeding, however, a review of the population ecology principles central to this discussion is necessary.

SREL Reprint #1828

Burke, V.J., N.B. Frazer, and J.W. Gibbons. 1993. Conservation of turtles: the Chelonian dilemma. pp. 35-38 In: Proceedings of the 13th Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation. U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Jekyll Island, GA. 

This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).