Article**: Oceans and Wetlands.
On December 21, 2023, the Peruvian National Wildlife Service said that Peru seized about at the country's main international airportTurtles native only to the Amazon.
Source: Green Club Media · Oceans and Wetlands).
Peru's National Forestry and Wildlife Administration said in a statement that "a consignment of live turtles destined for export to Indonesia" had been intercepted at Jorge Chávez Airport in Peru.
Among these reptiles are the largest river turtles in South America, the juvenile giant side-necked turtle (Podocnemis expansa) and the yellow-headed side-necked turtle (Podocnemis unifilis), which are found in small transparent plastic containers inside cardboard boxes.
Both species are of the genus Side-necked Tortoises and are listed in Appendix II of the International Convention on Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which requires tracking and regulation. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the second largest freshwater turtle in the Amazon, the yellow-spotted river turtle, as vulnerable.
According to Interpol, the black market for illegally traded wildlife products is worth up to $20 billion a year and is pushing many species to the brink of extinction. Cites says tortoises belong to the most threatened animal population in the world.
Both species are vegetarian species of South American turtles that nest in clusters on the beach. Its numbers have declined dramatically due to human overcapture and environmental destruction. It is found in Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela and the Essequibo River basins in Guyana, and also in Trinidad during floods. Whether the water is turbid or not has little effect on it.
They grow slowly, taking 4 to 8 years for females to reach sexual maturity (some scholars even believe it takes 17 years), and their habit of laying eggs on a beach makes them easier to capture by humans. In 1800, there were at least 330,000 nesting females on the Orinoco River, but by 1945 the number had halved, and in 2000 there were probably only 700,1300. In addition, water pollution and the construction of dams are the main culprits in the decline of their numbers. Some countries, such as Brazil and Colombia, have begun legislation to protect giant side-necked turtles and the beaches where they lay their eggs, while Venezuela collects eggs for artificial incubation, but the illegal capture of giant side-necked turtles and their eggs has not stopped.
This article is:Frontiers of sustainable development in Latin AmericaSeries Episode 111).
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