Species diversity and illegal trades of vietnamese turtles in nam dong conservation area and surrounding areas thanh hoa province

MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF FORESTRY STUDENT THESIS SPECIES DIVERSITY AND ILLEGAL TRADES OF VIETNAMESE TURTLES IN NAM DONG CONSERVATION AREA AND SURROUNDING AREAS, THANH HOA PROVINCE Major: Natural Resources Management Code: D850101 Faculty: Forest Resources and Environmental Management Student: Nguyen Thi Tam Anh Student ID: 1553090775 Class: K60 Natural Resources Management Course: 2015 - 2019 Advance Education Program Developed in collaboration with Colorado State University, USA Supervisor: Dr Luu Quang Vinh Ha Noi, 2019 i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT To be honest, I have received a plethora of not only guidance from my supervisors but also help from organizations and friends during doing this research I would never have been able to finish my graduation thesis without these supports First of all, I would like to express the deepest appreciation to my research supervisor, Dr Luu Quang Vinh, who always trusted in me and continuously supported me in every problem that occurred throughout the progress of this thesis Without his guidance and persistent help, this research would not have been accomplished Besides my adivisor, I would send a big thank to Mr Pham Van Thong, Turtle Sanctuary and Conservation Center, Vietnam who always supported and inspired me during the interview and field survey at the field trip with valuable comments My sincere thank also goes to Mr Lo Van Oanh and his family, taking good care of mine and supporting me with the enthusiastic guidance to collect data when I stayed in his family This research would never have been carried out unless local authorities had allowed With practical support and legal permissions for the survey team during the interview and field survey at the study site, therefore, I would like to extend my thanks to the Board Management of not only Nam Dong Conservation Area but also local authorities from Quan Son and Quan Hoa districts, Thanh Hoa Province Moreover, I am grateful to local people for sharing me with the experiments and welcoming me Never forget to thank to the Vietnam National University of Forestry has given me an opportunity to apply the knowledge I learned from the school I have got a new and useful experience that is helpful for my future work Last not at least, I am much obliged to my beloved family for supporting me spiritually throughout my life They standed by and inspired me to complete the course ii ABSTRACT In terms of turtle species richness, Vietnam is the most of biodiversity countries with ranking 9th in the world with 27 species being the tortoise and freshwater turtle However, those unique creature was suffered from many issues such as deforestation, pollution and illegal trade These problems are long-term conservation issues, driving many turtle populations in Vietnam to the edge of extinction Therefore, aims of this study are to investigate species diversity and also to evaluate the scale and trend of turtle trade, based on interviewing local people and field surveys in Nam Dong Conservation Area and the surrounding areas, Thanh Hoa Province The interview results indicated that there were tortoise and freshwater turtle occurrence in the study To specify, these are Geoemyda spengleri, Cuora mouhotii, Cuora galbinifrons, Palea steindachneri, Manouria impressia, Pelodiscus sinensis, Platysternon megacephalum, Sacalia quadriocellata, Cyclemys oldhamii Of those, Manouria impressia and Cuora galbinifrons are the most frequently cited species by interviewees with 63.11% and 53%, respectively The prices of species such as Cuora galbinifrons, Platysternon megacephalum were higher than other species during the study period, probably due to the rarity of the species and the higher demand from China Besides, 110 turtle individuals were observed on the local trade and heads were recorded from field surveys by researchers This study also showed that Tam Thanh commune was an important area for turtle conservation Therefore, this area should belong to Nam Dong Conservation Area In addition, basing on current status of the turtle trade, I recommended several measures for conservation and management of turtle species in the study site such as expanding Nam Dong CA, having further research, raising awareness of local people Keywords: turtle diversity, field survey, Vietnam, turtle illegal trade iii TABLE OF CONTENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT i ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENT ii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS iii LIST OF TABLE iv LIST OF FIGURE v I INTRODUCTION II LITERATURE VIEW 2.1 Turtle research in the world 2.2 Turtle research in Vietnam III GOAL, SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY 3.1 Goal 3.2 Specific objectives 3.3 Methodology 3.3.1 Study site 3.3.2 Data collection 12 IV RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 16 4.1 Species composition of turtle in Nam Dong CA and surrounding areas 16 4.2 Turtle species distribution of in Nam Dong CA and surrounding areas 20 4.3 Conservation status and illegal Trade 25 4.3.1 Conservation status 25 4.3.2 Illegal turtle trade 27 4.4 Recommendations 30 V CONCLUSIONS 32 REFERENCES 34 APPENDIX 37 ii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CA Conservation Area TFT Tortoise and freshwater turtles IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature VU Vulnerable LR Lower risk LC Least concern EN Endangered NE Not evaluated CR Critically Endangered iii LIST OF TABLE Table 3.1 Area of forest in Nam Dong CA 10 Table 4.1 The number of described species and observed specimens in the study site 17 Table 4.2 Species diversity comparison between study site and Vietnam 19 Table 4.3 The list of described species and observed specimens in communes 20 Table 4.4 Current status of turtle’s species composition in Nam Dong CA and surrounding areas 26 Table 4.5 Average price of species by interview surveys 29 iv LIST OF FIGURE Figure 2.1 Critically Endangered and Endangered (CR and EN) and Threatened (CR, EN and VU) species of turtles and tortoises as a percentage of the total number of IUCN or TFTSG listed species at the time, as published by IUCN Red Lists 1982-2018 and on this TFTSG Red List Figure 3.1 Thematic map of Nam Dong CA and surrounding areas Figure 3.2 Thematic map DEM of studied site Figure 3.3 Map of current status of landuse in Nam Dong CA 13 Figure 3.4 Equipment for collecting data 13 Figure 3.5 Line transects for surveys in Nam Dong CA and surrounding areas 14 Figure 4.1 Interview points and recorded samples from field surveys in the study site 16 Figure 4.2 Five new recorded TFT species were observed by interview 17 Figure 4.3 The percentage of species diversity in study site compare to Vietnam 19 Figure 4.4 The number of described and observed species in communes 23 Figure 4.5 Cuora galbinifrons in the wild (Photo by Pham Van Thong) 24 Figure 4.6 Two Geoemyda spengleri females were found in Tén Tròng transect, Tam Thanh commune 24 Figure 4.7 Cuora galbinifrons in the trader’s house in Pa village, Tam Thanh commune 28 Figure 4.8 Cuora galbinifrons and Manouria impressa were hunted by dog 28 Figure 4.9 Manouria impressa was used for food 30 v I INTRODUCTION Vietnam is among countries of Indo-Burma biodiversity conservation hotspots in the world (IUCN assessment, 2011) During 18th - 19th century, with many publications, chelonian biodiversity was documented and described According to Bourret (1934, 1937, 1941) recorded and described 18 species of chelonian in Vietnam and Indochina, including marine turtles and 16 species of tortoise and freshwater turtles (TFT) (Gmelin, 1789; Bourret, 1934, 1937, 1941) In 2017, there were 27 species of TFT recorded in Vietnam according to Turtle Taxonomy Working Group (2017) In addition, Vietnam also is home to many critically endangered and endemic turtle species such as Annam pond turtle (Mauremys annamensis), Box turtle (Cuora bourreti) and Swinhoe’s solfshell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) Nevertheless, turtle fauna diversity is poorly known in Vietnam and Vietnamese turtle is facing with many problems There are 85.1% of tortoise and freshwater turtle taxa which are listed as Threatened in the IUCN Red List (IUCN, 2018) All of Vietnam’s turtle populations are today under intense pressure from humans Their populations are threatened by economic development, agriculture and pollution Some of parts are threaten by hunting and trade to meet the insatiable demand mainly from consumers in China, where turtles are consumed in special dishes or used to make traditional medicine (Tran et al., 2016) Evidence suggests that wild populations of most turtle species in Vietnam have declined significantly by about 50-90%, leaving fragmented and degraded populations surviving in the wild (IUCN assessment, 2018) Thanh Hoa Province is located in the North Central Coast region of Vietnam and known as one of the most potential biodiversity provinces in Vietnam However, turtle diversity is completely unknown in here, especially in mountainous areas Belonging to Thanh Hoa Province, Quan Son and Quan Hoa districts are remote areas with high forest covers In 2015, Nam Dong Conservation Area (Nam Dong CA) is established in these districts Ecosystem of Nam Dong CA is typical ecosystem in Vietnam with two main ecosystems: highland mountain ecosystem and limestone karst ecosystem, which is home to some of reptiles Local people, however, is almost ethnic minorities such as Muong, Thai which has many difficult conditions to develop communities especially communities’ economic development Livelihood of local people depends on not only agriculture but also hunting or animals trade including turtle trade Thus, it makes difficult to manage and implement the conservation of turtle in the region With beginning and difficulty, I decided to conduct a thesis title: “Species diversity and illegal trades of Vietnamese turtles in Nam Dong Conservation Area and surrounding areas, Thanh Hoa Province” My survey aims to provide necessary scientific information for management, conservation and development of turtle species in the locality; to prevent illegal trade from local people in not only Nam Dong CA but also surrounding areas II LITERATURE VIEW 2.1 Turtle research in the world Turtles or Chelonians (order Chelonii, class Reptilia) are very ancient tetrapod vertebrates, their first members being known from Keuper (Triassic) deposits The extant families have a relict distribution pattern that reflects their long evolutionary history The diversity of turtles and tortoises in the world that has existed in modern times (since 1500 AD) and currently generally recognized as distinct and included in International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) threat categories of all 360 recognized species of extant and recently extinct turtles and tortoises (Order Testudines) By The IUCN Red List (2018), however, threatened species, including Critically Endangered, Endangered, and Vulnerable, accounted for 51.9% of the total species listed (184 species) and 35.3% of those listed, be considered Critically Endangered or Endangered To be specified, formally lists 251 turtle species, including separate subspecies and 19 regional subpopulations, using a slightly different taxonomy from the one presented in this checklist Of the 251 species listed, are Extinct (EX), Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct) (CR(PE)), Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct in the Wild) (CR(PEW)), 69 Critically Endangered (CR), 54 Endangered (EN), 61 Vulnerable (VU), 39 Near Threatened (NT), 93 Least Concern (LC), and 35 Data Deficient (DD) (Rhodin et al., 2018) Figure 2.1 Critically Endangered and Endangered (CR and EN) and Threatened (CR, EN and VU) species of turtles and tortoises as a percentage of the total number of IUCN or TFTSG listed species at the time, as published by IUCN Red Lists 1982-2018 and on this TFTSG Red List V CONCLUSIONS (1) Species composition: Basing on 110 recorded species and 113 interviews, TFT species were identify, including Geoemyda spengleri, Cuora mouhotii, Cuora galbinifrons, Palea steindachneri, Manouria impressia, Pelodiscus sinensis, Platysternon megacephalum, Sacalia quadriocellata, Cyclemys oldhamii and belong to families (Platysternidae, Geoemydidae, Testudinidae, Trionychidae), which have been found in Nam Dong CA and surrounding areas Six of them were recorded for the first time from Nam Dong CA and surrounding areas in comparison with the number of turtles reported by Dong et al (2017) comprising Geoemyda spengleri, Palea steindachneri, Manouria impressia, Pelodiscus sinensis, Sacalia quadriocellata, Cyclemys oldhamii (2) Species distribution: Other than the buffer zones of Nam Dong CA, a surrounding area, Tam Thanh commune is potential for turtle populations Cuora galbinifrons and Geoemyda spengleri were found in this site The bamboo forests seemed to be particularly important habitats for these threatened turtles (3) Conservation status and illegal trade: There are recorded species listed as threatened by IUCN Red List (CR, EN and VU; see IUCN, 2019), including Platysternon megacephalum, Cuora galbinifrons, Cuora mouhotii, Geoemyda spengleri, Sacalia quadriocellata, Manouria impressa, Palea steindachneri, Pelodiscus sinensis All living species were ready to be traded, kept as pet or offered for sale when they get a reasonable price There were three main routes to trade turtle illegally, but the most common one was exporting turtles to China In term of prices, trader increased dramatically compared to previous years due to high demand from domestic and foreign markets When turtle quantity decreases, the price grows up significantly From the interviewing results, today these illegal activities are less and less in comparison with the 1900s (4) Solution: It should combine local authorities and local people to better in protecting the species such as raising awareness of local community, passing a strict law and establishing monitoring To get more data to field the gap of threats, ecology, distribution and population status, the study should conduct continuously and expand the object of the study In addition, area forest in the study site is rich, the government should make policies in order to conserve natural resources Last not at least, the area of Nam Dong CA should be expanded, including Tam Thanh commune Publication: This research is summited with the entitled paper: "Unexpected high forest turtle diversity in hill forests in northern Vietnam" ID: BIOC-D-19-00667 in Biodiversity and Conservation Journal (in review) REFERENCES Bourret, R (1934) Notes herpộtologiques sur lIndochine franỗaise Direction de l’instruction publique Bourret, R (1937) Notes herpétologiques sur lIndochine franỗaise XIV Batraciens Collect Lab Sci Nat LUniversitộ Descr Quinze Especes Ou Variétés Nouv Annexe Au Bull Général L’Instruction Publique Hanoi 1937: 5–56 Bourret, R (1941) Les tortues de l’Indochine avec une note sur la pêche et l’elevage des tortues de mer par F Le Poulain Buskirk, J (1993) Captive propagation and husbandry of the Vietnamese leaf turtle Vivarium 5: 18–19 Cheung, S.M & Dudgeon, D (2006) Quantifying the Asian turtle crisis: market surveys in southern China, 2000–2003 Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 16: 751–770 Chen, T.H., Chang, H.C & Lue, K.Y (2009) Unregulated trade in turtle shells for Chinese traditional medicine in East and Southeast Asia: the case of Taiwan Chelonian Conservation and Biology 8: 11–18 Colteaux, B.C & Johnson, D.M (2017) Commercial harvest and export of snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) in the United States: trends and the efficacy of size limits at reducing harvest Journal for Nature Conservation 35: 13–19 Dong, H.T., Tran, T.N., Mai, C.V & Thao, T.A (2017) Characteristics of reptiles and amphibians in the Nam Dong endangered gymnosperm conservation Thanh Hoa Province Vietnam Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development : 99–106 (in Vietnamese) Gmelin, J (1789) Caroli a Linné, Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis Editio Decima Tertia, Aucta, Reformata Tomus I Pars III., Lipsiae [Leipzig], G.E Beer, Edition 13, ed 10 Gong, S.P., Chow, A.T., Fong, J.J & Shi, H.T (2009)The chelonian trade in the largest pet market in China: scale, scope and impact on turtle conservation Oryx 43: 213– 216 11 Hendrie DB (2000) Status and conservation of tortoises and freshwater turtles in Vietnam: in Asian turtle trade: proceedings of a workshop on conservation and trade of freshwater turtles and tortoises in Asia Chelonian Res Monogr 2: 63–73 12 Horne, B.D., Poole, C.M & Walde, A.D (2012) Conservation of Asian tortoises and freshwater turtles: setting priorities for the next ten years Recommendations and conclusions from the workshop in Singapore Singapore Zoo and Wildlife Conservation Society, 32 pp 13 IUCN, 2011, 2018, 2019 IUCN Red list of threatened species 14 Krishnakumar, K., Raghavan, R & Pereira, B (2009) Protected on paper, hunted in wetlands: exploitation and trade of freshwater turtles (Melanochelys trijuga coronata and Lissemys punctata punctata) in Punnamada, Kerala, India Tropical Conservation Science 2: 363–373 15 Luiselli, L., Petrozzi, F & Akani, G.C (2013) Long-term comparison reveals trends in turtle trade in bushmeat markets of southern Nigeria Herpetozoa 26: 57–64 16 Luiselli, L., Starita, A., Carpaneto, G.M., Segniagbeto, G.H & Amori, G (2016) A short review of the international trade of wild tortoises and freshwater turtles across the world and throughout two decades Chelonian Conservation and Biology 15:167–172 17 Luu, V Q., Ziegler, T., Ha, N., Le, M D., & Hoang, T.T (2019) A new species of Lycodon Boie, 1826 (Serpentes: Colubridae) from Thanh Hoa Province, Vietnam Zootaxa 4586 (2): 261–277 18 Pham, T.V., Vu,T.T., Dawson, J., Bui, T.T & Leprince, B (2018) Natural history observation on the endangered turtle Geoemyda spengleri in Tay Yen Tu Nature Reserve (Vietnam), with notes on others sympatric species Herpetological Bulletin, 146: 1–7 19 Pham, T.V (2018) Distribution, threats and ecology of Black Breasted leaf turtle (Geoemyda spengleri GMELIN, 1789) in Tay Yen Tu Nature reserve, Bac Giang province, Vietnam with notes on other sympatric species (Master thesis in Tropical Forestry) Vietnam National University of Forestry, 80 pp 20 Rhodin AGJ, et al (2018) Global Conservation Status of Turtles and Tortoises (Order Testudines) Chelonian Conservation and Biology 2: 135–161 21 Shepherd, C.R & Nijman, V (2008) Pet freshwater turtle and tortoise trade in Chatuchak Market, Bangkok, Thailand A traffic Southeast Asia report 22 Stuart L B., Van Dijk P & Hendrie D.P (2001) Photographic guide to the turtles of Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia IUCN, Asia 23 Stengel, C.J., Shepherd, C.R & Caillabet, O.S (2011) The trade in tortoises and freshwater turtles in Jakarta revisited Traffic Southeast Asia, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia: 24–25 24 Sung, Y.H & Fong, J.J (2018) Assessing consumer trends and illegal activity by monitoring the online wildlife trade Biological Conservation 227: 219–225 25 Tam Thanh People Committee (2019) Report on social economic-security and defense for first six months 2019 of Tam Thanh commune, Quan Son district, Thanh Hoa Province 26 Tran,L.T.K., Pham, T.V., Le, D.M & McCormack,T (2016) Illegal Turtle Trade in Bac Kan, Quang Ninh Tuyen Quang Provinces and Online Illegal Turtle Trade VNU Journal of Science 1: 245–253 27 Turtle Conservation Coalition [TCC: A.G.J., A.D., B.D., P.P., T & R (EDS.)] (2011) Turtles in Trouble: The World's 25+ Most Endangered Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles—2011 Lunenburg, MA: IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group, Turtle Conservation Fund, Turtle Survival Alliance, Turtle Conservancy, Chelonian Research Foundation, Conservation International, Wildlife Conservation Society, and San Diego Zoo Global, 54 pp 28 Turtle Conservation Coalition [TCC: Stanford, C.B., Rhodin, A.G.J., van Dijk, P.P., Horne, B.D., Blanck, T., Goode, E.V., Hudson, R., Mittermeier, R.A., Currylow, A., Eisemberg, C., Frankel, M., Georges, A., Gibbons, P.M., Juvik, J.O., Kuchling, G., Luiselli, L., Shi, H., Singh, S & Walde, A (Eds.)] (2018) Turtles in Trouble: The World's 25+ Most Endangered Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles—2018 Ojai, CA: IUCN SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group, Turtle Conservancy, Turtle Survival Alliance, Turtle Conservation Fund, Chelonian Research Foundation, Conservation International, Wildlife Conservation Society, and Global Wildlife Conservation, 80 pp 29 Turtle Taxonomy Working Group, Rhodin AGJ, Iverson JB, Bour R, Fritz U, Georges A, Shaffer HB & van Dijk PP (2017) Turtles of the World: Annotated Checklist and Atlas of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution, and Conservation Status (8th Ed.) In: Rhodin AGJ, Iverson JB, van Dijk PP, Saumure RA, Buhlmann KA, Pritchard PCH, Mittermeier RA (Eds) Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises: A Compilation Project of the IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group Chelonian Research Monographs 7: 1–292 30 Zhou, Z and Jiang, Z (2008) Characteristics and risk assessment of international trade in tortoises and freshwater turtles in China Chelonian Conservation and Biology 7: 28–36 APPENDIX Appendix Questionnaire for interview I: General information Interviewer:…………………… No interviewee: ……Date:………………………… Ethic:………………….Address: …………………………………………………… Gender: Male Female Age:………………………………………………… Occupation: ………………………………………… II: Specific information about turtle species How many turtle species you know? Do you see any turtles from your place? A Yes B: Never If yes, could you describe it? (color, hard shell or softshell, size, aquatic or terrestrial) ……………………………………………………………………………… ………… If no, you know anyone see turtle or hear anyone talk about it near your house? ……………………………………………………………………………… ………… What is their local name? ………………………………………………………………………………………… When you see it? ………………………………………………………………………………………… Where you see it? ……………………………………………………………………………… ………… Do you see turtle’s clutch? A Yes B: Not yet If yes, how many eggs per nest? …………………………………………………………………………… …………… How many farm around the area? ……………………………………………………………………………… ………… III: Socio – Economic Have you bought, sold or eaten turtle? A Yes B No Do you use traditional products of turtle? A Yes B No What traditional products of turtles you know? ……………………………………………………………………………… ………… What traditional products of turtles you have? ……………………………………………………………………………… ………… Where could people sell/buy turtles? A Online B Market C Others What is price of turtle/ kilogram to sell? ……………………………………………………………………………… ………… What is price of turtle/ kilogram to buy? ……………………………………………………………………………… ………… Do you illegal when you buy/sell turtles? ……………………………………………………………………………… ………… Sincerely thanks for your valuable comments! Appendix Synopsis of the number of interviewees, divided by their commune of residence Commune District Farmer Hunter Trader Shop seller Total Tam Thanh Quan Son 26 33 62 Son Lu Quan Son 0 15 Trung Thuong Quan Son 1 10 Son Dien Quan Son 2 Nam Dong Quan Hoa 0 44 52 103 Total Appendix Turtle record (Source: Asia Turtle Program) Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Field Record Report Species Local name Date of observation: Record Number (please leave blank) Location and Reporting Information (required) Name of Location (site name) District Province Country Reported by (name and organization/institution) 10 Identified by (include name and organization/affiliations) Record Type and Classification (required) 11 Observation Type (circle one): A Live specimen B Dead specimen C Shell, skull, remains D Unknown 12 Voucher type (circle):1.Photographattached Specimen/remains None Blood/tissue sample 13       Classification of Report A1 Observed in the Wild A2 Observed in possession of hunter/fisherman/other person(s) within the source area B1 Observed in captivity within a community in close proximity to the source area B2 Observed in local trade C1 Reported in interview C2 Site-specific record from report or other source without further reference Other information (if available/optional) 14 Age class: Adult Hatchling Sub-adult Juvenile Unknown 15 Sex: Male Female Unknown 16 Length (carapace mm) 17 Width (carapace mm) 18 Weight (g) 19 Additional locality information (forest, wetland, village, 20 GPS Coordinates (if known) commune, ethnic group, etc.) UTM – WGS84 Geographic Address: Name: WGS84 Age: Ethnicity: Profession: Altitude: Altitude: 21 Describe circumstances of observation/report (provide more details about the situation of turtle observation, source of turtle, price, quantity,…) 22 Wild observation (Air temperature 0C, water temperature 0C, relative humidity %, slope, forest cover,….) Photograph (if available) 23 Insert digital photograph here Appendix 4: Measurement variable of turtle (Source: Asia Turtle Program) Dimension measurements Length of carapace (L.ca) Plastron’s length (PL) Height of carapace (H.ca) Length of gular (L.G) Middle Width of carapace(MidW.ca) Length of humeral (L.H) Width of gular (P.G) Length of pectoral (L.P) Width of humeral (P.H) Length of abdominal (L.AB) Width of pectoral (P.P) Length of femoral (L.F) Width of abdominal (P.AB) Length of anal (L.AN) Width of femoral (P.F) Length of tail (L.cd) Width of anal (P.AN) Max Width of Carapace (MaxW.Ca) Appendix Synopsis of the number of specimens, conducted by field survey No Date Time 17-May-19 9:50 T ( C) 24 17-May-19 11:10 25.2 17-May-19 12:30 22.2 22-May-19 14:10 23.4 23-May-19 10:04 23.6 Location Hang Trình forest, Pa village, Tam Thanh, Quan Son, Thanh Hoa Hang Trình forest, Pa village, Tam Thanh, Quan Son, Thanh Hoa Tén Tròng forest area, Pa village, Tam Thanh, Quan Son, Thanh Hoa Tén Tròng forest area, Pa village, Tam Thanh, Quan Son, Thanh Hoa Tén Tròng forest area, Pa village, Tam Thanh, Quan Son, Thanh Hoa Species name Cuora galbinifrons Alt (m) 650 CL (m m) 166 CW (mm) 114 Height (mm) 72 Weight (g) 779 Gender Slope F Age classify Adult 25 Canopy cover 50 Cuora galbinifrons 669 92 70 39 140 - Juvenile 10 80 Cuora galbinifrons 612 161 99 70 644 - Adult 20 85 Geoemyda spengleri 684 109.5 69.5 38 211 F Adult 40 75 Geoemyda spengleri 664 91 68 34 140 F Adult 19 65 Note: T = ground temperature, Alt = elevation (m a.s.l.), CL = carapace length, CW = carapace width Appendix Manouria impressa, Cuora galbinifrons and Geoemyda spengleri were pets in Mo village, Tam Thanh commune (From the left to the right) Appendix Manouria impressa were decorated in Trung Thuong commune Appendix Checking information from identifying turtle of local people i Appendix Collecting data at local house (Left: Conducting interview a local people in Ngam village, Tam Thanh; Right: Collecting the data of a dead Manouria impressa at local house) Appendix 10 Specimens in the wild and microhabitat (Above Cuora galbinifrons; Below: Geoemyda spengleri below) in Tén Tròng village Appendix 11 Some other findings from interview surveys for food consumption (Above: Cuora galbinifrons and two of G spengleri were found in local house local trader house Below left: Platysternon megacephalum found in local trader house Below right: Palea steindachneri was found in local house) Appendix 12 Some illegal activities for other animals in the study site Appendix 13 Some of activities during collecting data in the field ... title: ? ?Species diversity and illegal trades of Vietnamese turtles in Nam Dong Conservation Area and surrounding areas, Thanh Hoa Province? ?? My survey aims to provide necessary scientific information... RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 16 4.1 Species composition of turtle in Nam Dong CA and surrounding areas 16 4.2 Turtle species distribution of in Nam Dong CA and surrounding areas 20 4.3 Conservation. .. database of turtle species distribution and to propose measures for conservation and management of turtles in Nam Dong CA and surrounding areas in Quan Son, Quan Hoa districts, Thanh Hoa Province