Research Projects

Freshwater and brackish water ecosystem are treated amongst the most endangered ecosystem in the world and their biodiversity decline is much higher than highly affected terrestrial ecosystems. As per IUCN Red List (IUCN, 2015), Asia accommodates around 75% of all the Critically Endangered, Endangered, or Vulnerable species. Turtles face serious threats due to many problems such as being collected for the pet trade, bones, flesh eaten, and medical use in devastating numbers. Similarly, urbanisation activities destructed the habitat of turtles affecting populations. Many species of turtles left in the world are under threat of extinction in the next few decades (Turtle Conservation Fund, 2003). Conservation of turtle species is particularly important due to their low reproductive output, late maturity, and habitat requirement of wetlands and terrestrial environments (Gong et al., 2006). Soft-shell turtles are a source of traditional medicine, and their shells are highly effective for purifying blood and curing many diseases. Many species are under threat due to loss of habitat and water pollution. Freshwater lakes and rivers of Kerala are also under severe threat, influencing the decline of fish resources including the turtles. Commonly available turtles come under the genus Lissemys. The decline in soft turtle species is the largest documented loss of biodiversity by humans in an ecosystem. Wetlands of Southern Kerala, namely Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam, districts were selected as study areas. Several survey techniques will be employed for the observation of turtles. During each visit to the study areas, the population of each species of the turtle will be recorded. Identification of the species in the field will be carried out with the help of published literature and identification keys. Freshwater turtle species are on the verge of extinction today and it is very essential to assess the current status of these endangered species in order to formulate conservation strategies. With this aim in the background, the objective of the present study is to identify the most common and threatened genus of freshwater soft Turtles of Southern Kerala.