TCF-Supported Projects
2008. IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group; Anders G.J. Rhodin
Support for IUCN Red List and Action Plan Workshop: Turtles on the Brink in Madagascar.
More than 80 conservation specialists from Madagascar and 12 other countries met in Antananarivo, Madagascar, from January 14-17, 2008 to carry out an IUCN Red List assessment of the conservation status of Madagascar’s turtles and tortoises and to develop an Action Plan to identify specific projects and other interventions needed to ensure the survival of these important animals. The workshop was entitled Turtles on the Brink in Madagascar: A Workshop on Current Status, Conservation Prioritization, and Strategic Action Planning for Madagascan Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles. Convened by the IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group and Madagascar’s Ministère de l’Environnement, des Eaux et Forêts et du Tourisme, the workshop was co-organized by Wildlife Conservation Society, Conservation International, and Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, with participation, support, and partnership from multiple organizations, including ANGAP (Parcs Nationaux Madagascar), WWF, Turtle Conservation Fund, Shellshock Campaign, Chelonian Research Foundation, IUCN Turtle Survival Alliance, Behler Chelonian Center, Frankel Family Foundation, Moore Family Foundation, and George Meyer and Maria Semple.
Five turtle and tortoise species, the radiated tortoise or sokake (Astrochelys radiata), the ploughshare tortoise or angonoka (Astrochelys yniphora), the spider tortoise (Pyxis arachnoides sspp.), the flat-tailed tortoise or kapidolo (Pyxis planicauda), and the Madagascar big-headed turtle or rere (Erymnochelys madagascariensis), all endemic to Madagascar, were all assessed as Critically Endangered, the highest possible IUCN Red List category of threat of extinction.
During closing ceremonies for the workshop several international organizations made significant initial commitments of financial resources to bring to bear on the numerous focused actions identified in the preliminary Action Plan, with over $300,000 committed to support a variety of immediate and long-term projects, both specific and general.
(Click here for Workshop press release)