TRAFFIC Southeast Asia identified the Southeast Asian Box Turtle as a heavily traded species to be used as a case study for science-based management, which could serve as a model for other CITES Appendix II species in trade. This study aims to assess the legislation in place to regulate trade in freshwater turtles and tortoises and to identify past and current harvest and trade levels.
South-east Asia is both a centre for the consumption of wildlife products, and also a key supplier of wildlife products to the world. Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR and Vietnam are among the south-east Asian countries that act as major sources of wildlife in trade, the trade involving a wide variety of native species, which, in many cases, are declining as a result of unsustainable, and often illegal, harvest.
In recent years the trade in tortoises and freshwater turtles of Southeast Asia has escalated and changed dramatically to meet international demand. This report documents the change, examining the status, distribution and exploitation of 41 species in seven Southeast Asian countries.
