KARACHI: It is mainly abject poverty which is driving local fishing communities of Sindh towards illegal trapping and trade of freshwater turtles and their body parts or derivatives — now a lucrative business across Pakistan.

Districts of Thatta, Suj­awal, Sanghar, Shaheed Benazirabad (Nawabshah), Badin and Karachi are the hotspots of this illegal trade in the province, according to the information gathered through recent field surveys carried out in Sindh and Balochistan by the Interna­tional Union for Conserva­tion of Nature (IUCN) in collaboration with Sindh Wil­dlife Department (SWD).

The surveys were conducted in Karachi, Thatta, Badin, Sujawal, Khairpur, Naushahro Feroze, Sukkur, Ghotki and Sanghar districts in Sindh and Hub Dam, Hingol National Park and selected sites in Jaffarabad and Nasirabad districts in Balochistan.

The aim of the exercise was to understand the dynamics of the illegal trade in freshwater turtles, a key species that keeps the aquatic environment clean by feeding upon dead organic material and dead fish.

The surveys were conducted by Adnan Hamid Khan (SWD) and Abdur Razzaq Khan (a field biologist) whereas the report was compiled by Dr Syed Ali Ghalib and Syed Ali Hasnain, both senior environmentalists.

It is important to recall here that illegal trade of freshwater turtles has seen a dramatic increase in recent years, especially in Sindh and Punjab. Often the target is soft-shelled turtles as their parts are in high demand in Chinese markets.

The wildlife department records show that 229 live black pond turtles were smuggled out of Pakistan to China in August 2014. These turtles were repatriated and released into the Indus River system from Guddu to Sukkur barrage. Later in the same year, 218 black pond turtles were seized at Karachi airport.

In 2015, 4,342 dried turtle parts were confiscated at Karachi airport. Last year, 1,226 live and 31 dead black pond turtles were confiscated from Karachi and Deh Akro-II wildlife sanctuary in Shaheed Benazirabad district.

Around 5kg of turtle meat, according to the wildlife department record, was also seized the same year in Thatta. This year in August, 180 live turtles were confiscated in Loonikot, Jamshoro.

Abject poverty

According to the report, rural communities in Sindh face a host of issues including water shortage, lack of health and education facilities as well as of livelihood opportunities and increased dependence on depleting natural resources.

“These issues have drastically affected the livelihoods of rural communities and pushed them towards poverty. The situation has become complicated by poor conditions of financial, natural, physical and human capital, which in many aspects are interdependent and mutually reinforcing,” it said.

The communities found involved in turtle trade in Sindh, the report said, had no other alternative source of livelihood. Hunting was carried out in groups and the minimum average of turtle capture per day was reported to be 50 while the maximum average of turtle capture per day was 112 depending on the size of turtle capturing group.

“There is no defined season for collecting freshwater turtles and the species is caught throughout the year. It was noted during field surveys that some poachers during their hunt for turtles, also catch other reptiles and mammals that they may encounter. For instance, snakes, monitor lizards, hedgehogs, jackals, jungle cats, otters and crocodiles,” said the report.

Citing some other surveys, the report said that freshwater turtles caught in the interior parts of Sindh were destined for Karachi, from where these turtles or their body parts were smuggled to other countries such as Hong Kong, other parts of China, South Korea and Vietnam (via air or sea routes).

Some traffickers, the report said, had extended their network to Quetta, and used the Pakistan-Afghanistan border to smuggle wildlife through illegal means. It also pointed out that locals, particularly fishermen, were found unaware of the ecological role the turtles played in the river ecosystem and considered them as harmful to fish economy.

In Balochistan, freshwater turtles were seen in three canals of Jaffarabad and Nasirabad districts but there was no evidence of turtle targeting.

Poor management

One of the key findings of the surveys was the death of over 300 turtles, which were recovered alive from a DHA bungalow in Karachi but later died when they were freed along the bank of Kalar Lake in Sukkur, owing to what the report described as “poor quality of water and unfavourable conditions”, raising a question mark over the wildlife department’s decision on the selection of the site for species’ rehabilitation.

“The Sindh Wildlife Department released 350 freshwater turtles into this lake in 2016 which were confiscated from DHA, Karachi. As stated by a local, most of these turtles died due to poor quality of water and unfavourable conditions. During the present visit, the water level was (found) only two to three feet deep and only seven to eight freshwater turtles were seen,” said the report.

Apart from other factors, according to the report, degradation and destruction of habitat was also contributing to decline in turtle population.

Published in Dawn, December 7th, 2017