A. Species
Scientific name: Cuora amboinensis
Common name(s): Southeast Asian box turtle, Kura Katap
Global IUCN Red List Threat Status: Endangered
B. Location of use
Geographic location(s):
- Malaysia
Country/Region:
C. Scale of assessment
Scale of assessment: National Level
Name/Details of location: Malaysia
D. Timescale of use
Start Year: 2000
End Year: 2006
E. Information about the use
How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat and Wild species sourced from significantly modified habitat
Type of use: Extractive
Practice of use: Hunting and/or Trapping of live terrestrial and aerial animals
Lethal or non-lethal: Lethal and Non-Lethal
Does this use involve take/extraction of: The whole entire organism
Purpose(s) of end use: Food and feed, Medicine and hygiene, Keeping/companionship/display and Ceremony, religious, and ritual expression
Motivation of use: Basic subsistence, Income generation from trade (individual/household/community) and Largescale commercial exploitation for trade
Is this use legal or illegal?: Some use is legal and some is illegal
F. Information about the Users
Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: Local people and National / local private sector
G. Information about the sustainability of use
Is there evidence that the use is having an impact on the target species?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat and Wild species sourced from significantly modified habitat
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an ecological perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered unsustainable
Details of assessment carried out: This NDF Case study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Although data deficient. Suggestion of reduced catch per unit effort in the report. Huge levels of harvest for export and unquantified levels of offtake for personal consumption. All interviewees indicated that the species was less common in 2006 compared to some five to 10 years ago.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic perspective been recorded?: No, sustainability not determined
Details of assessment carried out: This NDF Case study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: The report does not explicitly mention economic sustainability, just that turtle trade is lucrative and that turtles are harvested in huge and unsustainable numbers. Mean purchase price for live individuals paid to collectors was USD1.62/kg in 2006. Suppliers to the export market sold the species for a mean ofUSD1.09/kg, while suppliers to the local market could get higher prices (mean USD3.21/kg). One exporter sold for SD2.73/kg in 2006 compared to USD3.80/kg before the trade ban. Local mean price for individuals bought as pet or for “merit release” was USD3.82 in shops and USD2.92 in markets in Peninsular Malaysia.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: No, sustainability not determined
Details of assessment carried out: This NDF case study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: The report does not explicitly mention social sustainability, just that turtles are harvested in huge and unsustainable numbers. In Malaysia, the main users are indigenous groups (Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia, Bedayuh and Iban in Sarawak), Thai communities along the Malaysian-Thai border, and ethnic Chinese. The first two groups mainly use the species for food consumption while ethnic Chinese use it mainly for merit release.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a human health perspective been recorded?: not recorded
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an animal health/welfare perspective been recorded?: not recorded
Recommendations provided in the record to maintain or enhance the sustainability of the use of the target species
• It appears that the large illegal trade constitutes the main threat to the survival of the species. • Surveys need to be conducted to determine the exact distribution of the species and its abundance in Malaysia. Population size should be monitored over time. • Mean sizes of individual should be monitored over time. A significant decrease in mean median carapace length would indicate unsustainable exploitation considering that the larger individuals are mainly targeted for export.
Record source
Information about the record source: grey_lit
Date of publication/issue/production: 2008-01-01T00:00:00+0000
Source Reference(s):
By Sabine Schoppe*
TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
NDF WORKSHOP CASE STUDIES
WG 7 – Reptiles and Amphibians
CASE STUDY 6
Cuora amboinensis
Country – MALAYSIA.
Date of record entry: 2023-09-29