Experts
from an Asian turtle protection program are preparing to establish a nature
reserve to protect a local tortoise in central Vietnam's Quang Ngai Province.
The Asian
Turtle Program (ATP) run by the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo in Ohio, US, is
studying the environment and interviewing local residents to locate the
tortoise's home so that it can be designated as a nature reserve.
They
believe Binh Son District in Quang Ngai has the best living conditions for the
Trung Bo (Central Vietnam) turtle.
The animal
only lives around flooded areas in Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh and
Phu Yen provinces along the coast. Their habitat has been endangered by recent
development and human encroachment.
Urban
development and turning forest land into farmland have been blamed for
diminishing the tortoise's home.
According
to experts, there are no Trung Bo turtle left in Vietnamese nature reserves.
Hence it's urgent to locate their remaining habitat to preserve them.
Mature
turtles will be put into the core zones at the reserve for reproduction
purposes, ATP said.
The Asian
Turtle Program will support the project with around US$20,000 this year. The
reserve will receive some 100 Trung Bo turtles from Cuc Phuong Turtle Reserve in
the north and several other places.
ATP has
worked since 1998 to promote tortoise and freshwater turtle conservation.