UPSC Articles
Black Softshell Turtle
Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Biodiversity
In news
- Recently, the Assam forest department has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with two NGOs and adopted a Vision Document to raise at least 1,000 black softshell turtles by 2030.
About Black Softshell Turtle
- Scientific Name: Nilssonia nigricans
- Habitat:
- They are found in ponds of temples in northeastern India and Bangladesh.
- Its distribution range also includes the Brahmaputra River and its tributaries.
- Protection Status:
- IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
- CITES: Appendix I
- Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: No legal protection
- Threats:
- Consumption of turtle meat and eggs,
- Silt mining
- Encroachment of wetlands
- Change in flooding pattern.
Turtle Conservation
- National Marine Turtle Action Plan:
- It contains ways and means to not only promote inter-sectoral action for conservation but also guide improved coordination amongst the government, civil society and all relevant stakeholders.
- Indian Ocean Sea Turtle Agreement (IOSEA)
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- India is a signatory to the Indian Ocean Sea Turtle Agreement (IOSEA) of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).
- It puts in place a framework through which States of the Indian Ocean and South-East Asian region and other concerned States can work together to conserve and replenish depleted marine turtle populations for which they share responsibility.
- KURMA App:
- It has a built-in digital field guide covering 29 species of freshwater turtles and tortoises of India.
- Developed by: Indian Turtle Conservation Action Network (ITCAN) in collaboration with the Turtle Survival Alliance-India and Wildlife Conservation Society-India.
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