Blue Ridge Naturalist Network Program
Turtles in Trade: The International Market for Southeastern U.S. Turtles and What’s Being Done to Protect Them
Tuesday, April 11, 7 p.m.
University of North Carolina Asheville
300 Campus View Rd, Asheville
Reuter Center Manheimer Room
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More than half of the world’s turtles are currently threatened with extinction. The leading driver of declines is the global demand for turtles to be kept as pets or used for human consumption. Some species that are found in the Southeastern United States, one of the most important areas for turtle diversity globally, are traded in staggering quantities. In recent years, more than 500,000 snapping turtles and close to 1.5 million musk turtles were exported from the United States. In the fall of 2022, countries from around the globe voted to give 21 U.S. turtle species international trade protections. In this talk, Dianne DuBois, Staff Scientist for The Center for Biological Diversity, will discuss these new protections, what they mean for turtles found around Asheville and the broader Southeastern United States, and how additional conservation actions can be taken to ensure turtles thrive in our ecosystems for many years to come.
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