WWF-Pakistan celebrated World Turtle Day to increase knowledge of freshwater and marine turtles among people and encourage human action to help them survive. In Pakistan, there are two species of land tortoises, five species of marine turtles and eight species of freshwater turtles, and, unfortunately, all of them are facing multiple threats due to anthropogenic activities.
Freshwater turtles are found in Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They are found along the entire Indus River system and its tributaries, canals, streams, ponds and even rice fields. Over the past few years, trafficking of freshwater turtles had been taking place in an organised manner, as lucrative profits are involved. Demand for turtle meat in East Asian countries is another threat as turtle parts are illegally exported through China. Turtle body parts are also used in traditional Chinese medicines thus affecting their population in Pakistan.
Due to these reasons five out of eight species of freshwater turtles are either endangered or vulnerable as classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Therefore in order to protect freshwater turtles from human-led activities, WWF-Pakistan lobbied with the governments of Punjab and KP to enlist the species as protected. The turtles were declared a protected species in 2007 under the Punjab and KP Wildlife Protection Acts.
Uzma Noureen, Co-ordinator, Indus River Dolphin Conservation Project, WWF-Pakistan said, "In Sindh, legislations in the Wildlife Act were made on September 19, 2014, after which the freshwater turtle species was finally declared a protected species. The Government of Sindh will now fine any smuggler Rs 12,000 for each live turtle and Rs 20,000 for each dead species for attempted illegal trafficking. Previously, the fine was just Rs 50,000 for the entire consignment." In a recent move, WWF-Pakistan and the Punjab Wildlife Department (PWD) released 171 black spotted turtles out of 504 which were confiscated earlier by the PWD at Allama Iqbal International Airport.