Life history traits, latitude, and sustainable harvesting in freshwater turtles

Turtles are the most endangered of vertebrate animals. Conservation need is greatest in tropical areas where most turtles occur and are harvested heavily by humans. Currently, sustainable harvesting is not considered viable for turtle conservation in the tropics because turtles are assumed to be unable to cope with additive mortality from harvesting due to life history constraints. Life history traits may vary with environment variables, however, and research on turtle demography has been conducted almost exclusively in the temperate zone. I investigated global patterns of life history traits in freshwater turtles and found that many life history traits in freshwater turtles varied along global latitude and temperature gradients. The interplay of these life history traits creates a potentially greater opportunity for harvest of tropical species than temperate species; therefore, sustainable harvesting if carefully designed could be explored as a viable strategy in conservation efforts for turtles in tropical regions.