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Due to the encroachment of wetlands, turtles are at high risk. According to researchers, the number of these species may decrease due to the lack of food and suitable habitat.
A team of scientists discovered more than two dozen turtles named 'Black Softshell' which were listed as endangered two years ago in Betna Wetland at Belbari in Morang. So far, 17 species of turtles and two subspecies have been found in Nepal. 13 of them have hard bones and four species have soft shells.
If less importance is given to the conservation of turtles living in wetlands, the possibility of turtles becoming endangered is increasing, said Ramchandra Adhikari, Associate Professor of Zoology.
Turtles, which were seen in abundance in wetlands in the past years, have been seen less and less in recent years, said Rajan Pokhrel of Belbari-11.
A study conducted by Govinda Prasad Pokharel, conservation officer of the National Nature Conservation Fund, in the wetlands of Morang, states that the use of concrete in the wetlands can affect turtles and other species that come to the river banks and bloom.
Researcher Pokharel, who has been involved in wetland conservation in Morang for about a decade, also informed that he has rescued more than a dozen turtles and released them in different wetlands.
According to him, temperature determines whether a turtle's 'egg' is male or female. When the temperature is slightly higher than the average temperature, the female emerges and when the temperature is lower, the male emerges. Therefore, due to the increase in temperature due to climate change, this species can also be affected naturally, he said.
Although there is no study on the effects of climate change on the reproduction of this species, Pokhrel said that due to climate change, the ecological system will deteriorate and the species will be negatively affected.
Many species of turtles live in wetlands. Among the turtles found in Nepal, Elongate Tortoise (Lamche Kuchuva, Thotri) and three-sided turtle (Tricarinata) are the only ones found on land, said Pokhrel.
Conservation officer Pokhrel says that these species are in crisis due to human encroachment, deforestation and fires. He said that activities such as deforestation, fires, urbanization, depletion of water resources, activities like throwing pesticides in forest areas, hunting and domestication will further endanger this species.
