Cyclemys - Conservation

Conservation

Cyclemys are often caught and sold for the pet trade, food, or traditional medicine. In August 25, 1998, Forest Protection authorities of Vietnam confiscated a shipment of about 700 turtles with an estimated 30 individuals of C. oldhamii. In May 2007, more than 3000 individuals of Cyclemys, along with Asian box turtles, were confiscated in hundreds of crates in Yangjiang, China.

The most commonly encountered species of Cyclemys in the pet trade, C. dentata, is now being captive bred. They are usually preferred as they are healthier, more acclimated to handling, and captive breeding minimizes the impact on wild populations.

The confusion over their exact taxonomy and distribution led to an incomplete assessment of their conservation status by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). In 1991, with only two species recognized, Cyclemys was given the Action Plan Rating (APR) of 3 - in need of some conservation action. In the last assessment in 2000 by the Asian Turtle Trade Working Group of IUCN, the different species currently recognized under the genus Cyclemys were treated as all belonging to the species C. dentata. This resulted in the current incorrect classification of all of the species of Cyclemys as Lower Risk/Near Threatened. Until now, the true conservation status as well as the actual effects of wildlife trade, deforestation, and habitat loss on individual Cyclemys species have yet to be studied.