A. Species

Scientific name: Malacochersus tornieri

Common name(s): Pancake tortoise, Kobe

Global IUCN Red List Threat Status: Critically Endangered

B. Location of use

Geographic location(s):

• Kenya

Country/Region:

C. Scale of assessment

Scale of assessment: National Level

Name/Details of location: Kenya: southern sub-population whose distribution covers Kitui, Mwingi, Tharaka and Mbeere and the northern sub- population covering Samburu, Isiolo and Marsabit districts.

D. Timescale of use

Start Year: 1996

End Year: 2005

E. Information about the use

How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat, Wild species sourced from the wild but reared/cultivated in a managed site and Wild species born/bred and raised/produced in captivity or through artificial propagation

Type of use: Extractive

Practice of use: Ranching, with breeding stock from wild; closed-cycle captive breeding; and illegal wild harvesting.

Lethal or non-lethal: Non-Lethal

Does this use involve take/extraction of: The whole entire organism

Purpose(s) of end use: Keeping/companionship/display

Motivation of use: Largescale commercial exploitation for trade

Is this use legal or illegal?: Legal under national law and Some use is legal and some is illegal

F. Information about the Users

Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: 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, Wild species sourced from the wild but reared/cultivated in a managed site and Wild species born/bred and raised/produced in captivity or through artificial propagation

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an ecological perspective been recorded?: No, sustainability not determined

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: not recorded

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

• Efforts should be made to have community programmes planned and initiated to create awareness on Pancake tortoise and threats to the species, promote the importance of the species to the local people and help to counteract the already identified threats to the survival of the species in the non-protected areas. • Establishment and promotion of Pancake tortoise conservancy areas/sanctuaries/nature reserves that may be private or community based managed as the preferred option to that of breeding in captivity considering the biology of the species • Research studies should be promoted, guided and supported to generate more scientific information on Pancake tortoise. • Research work to generate Genetic baseline information on Pancake tortoise should be initiated and promoted to help in species identification, individual identity, parent offspring relationship establishment and population identification. • Research and Monitoring programmes should be supported to monitor trends of the natural and introduced populations of Pancake tortoise. • More and long-term surveys should be supported to determine the population size of Pancake tortoise in the identified distribution areas both in the protected and non-protected. • More research work should be supported to establish whether a population of the species exists in the unassessed areas of Bisanadi National Reserve, Garbatula and Shaba hills in Isiolo district that could link the species population in the south with that in the north. • Range States for the Pancake tortoise should initiate and promote joint surveys and monitoring of the species in an effort to determine the species’ population status across its entire range and develop common management programmes for the species.

Record source

Information about the record source: grey_lit

Date of publication/issue/production: 2008-01-01T00:00:00+0000

Source Reference(s):

Date of record entry: 2023-10-02