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Fresh water turtles are traded in a shop, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. No other group of vertebrates is facing extinction like turtles. Nearly half of the 330 species are imminently threatened. Ten have populations of less than 100 individuals. Habitat destruction, in particular the loss of wetlands, has caused many populations to decline to unsustainable levels. Recovery efforts are complicated by the international trade in the rarest species as pets. These turtles fetch a high price, which makes it difficult for rural community members to pass on the economic windfall. They are traded for traditional medicine and as meat, as well, and harmed by the spread of new pathogens. Photo: Paul Hilton / Earth Tree images Exotic turtles are sold on the street in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China. China is the largest consumer of turtles in the world and international trade has been cited as the greatest threat to Asian turtles. Two main types of trade in live turtles occur in China: for food and traditional Chinese medicine, and for pets. The food trade involves the largest quantities of turtles. In recent years, however, the international pet turtle trade has increased dramatically. Photo: Paul Hilton / Earth Tree Images

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Paul Hilton / Earth Tree Images Paul Hilton for Earth Tree Images
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Freshwater Turtle Trade
Fresh water turtles are traded in a shop, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. No other group of vertebrates is facing extinction like turtles. Nearly half of the 330 species are imminently threatened. Ten have populations of less than 100 individuals. Habitat destruction, in particular the loss of wetlands, has caused many populations to decline to unsustainable levels. Recovery efforts are complicated by the international trade in the rarest species as pets. These turtles fetch a high price, which makes it difficult for rural community members to pass on the economic windfall. They are traded for traditional medicine and as meat, as well, and harmed by the spread of new pathogens. Photo: Paul Hilton / Earth Tree images Exotic turtles are sold on the street in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China. China is the largest consumer of turtles in the world and international trade has been cited as the greatest threat to Asian turtles. Two main types of trade in live turtles occur in China: for food and traditional Chinese medicine, and for pets. The food trade involves the largest quantities of turtles. In recent years, however, the international pet turtle trade has increased dramatically. Photo: Paul Hilton / Earth Tree Images