Chelonian Conservation and Biology, 2009, 8(2): 116–149 g 2009 Chelonian Research Foundation A Global Analysis of Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Distributions with Identification of Priority Conservation Areas 1 2 3 KURT A. BUHLMANN ,THOMAS S.B. AKRE ,JOHN B. IVERSON , 1,4 5 6 DENO KARAPATAKIS ,RUSSELL A. MITTERMEIER ,ARTHUR GEORGES , 7 5 1 ANDERS G.J. RHODIN ,PETER PAUL VAN DIJK , AND J. WHITFIELD GIBBONS 1University of Georgia, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Drawer E, Aiken, South Carolina 29802 USA [
[email protected];
[email protected]]; 2Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Longwood University, 201 High Street, Farmville, Virginia 23909 USA [
[email protected]]; 3Department of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana 47374 USA [
[email protected]]; 4Savannah River National Laboratory, Savannah River Site, Building 773-42A, Aiken, South Carolina 29802 USA [
[email protected]]; 5Conservation International, 2011 Crystal Drive, Suite 500, Arlington, Virginia 22202 USA [
[email protected];
[email protected]]; 6Institute for Applied Ecology Research Group, University of Canberra, Australian Capitol Territory 2601, Canberra, Australia [
[email protected]]; 7Chelonian Research Foundation, 168 Goodrich Street, Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 USA [
[email protected]] ABSTRACT. – There are currently ca. 317 recognized species of turtles and tortoises in the world. Of those that have been assessed on the IUCN Red List, 63% are considered threatened, and 10% are critically endangered, with ca. 42% of all known turtle species threatened. Without directed strategic conservation planning, a significant portion of turtle diversity could be lost over the next century. Toward that conservation effort, we compiled museum and literature occurrence records for all of the world’s tortoises and freshwater turtle species to determine their distributions and identify priority regions for conservation.