A review of distribution, threats and conservation of freshwater turtles of Ontario, Canada

  • Authors

    • Amtyaz Safi University of Karachi
    • Muhammad Usman Ali Hashmi
    • John Peter Smith
    2020-11-28
    https://doi.org/10.14419/jes.v2i1.31213
  • Ontario, Freshwater Turtles, Distribution, Threats, Conservation.

  • There are four families and eight species of freshwater turtles found in Canada, and the same families and species have also been recorded in Ontario province, all species are listed in CITES Appendices, in which six are declared as threatened species. Three families are hard shelled turtles viz Family Emydidae, Family Kinosternidae, and Family Chelydridae while Family Trionichidae is the only soft shelled turtle. Legally, all freshwater turtles in Ontario have been protected. Many efforts have been made by the Government, Non-governmental organizations and Academia for the protection and conservation of turtle population in Ontario. IUCN, WWF Canada, Ontario Wildlife Department, and Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), Canadian Wildlife federation, Wildlife preservation Canada, Ontario turtle conservation center (OTCC) and some other organizations are contributing in efforts for the conservation of freshwater turtles in Ontario. But still, freshwater turtles are facing serious threats due to climatic changes and some anthropogenic activities.

     

     


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    Safi, A., Usman Ali Hashmi, M., & Peter Smith, J. (2020). A review of distribution, threats and conservation of freshwater turtles of Ontario, Canada. SPC Journal of Environmental Sciences, 2(1), 36-41. https://doi.org/10.14419/jes.v2i1.31213