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The Mission of the
IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group (TFTSG)
is to identify and document threats to the survival of
all species of tortoises and freshwater turtles,
and to help catalyze conservation action
to ensure that none become extinct
and that sustainable populations of all species
persist in the wild.

Tortoises in the Mist
Galapagos Giant Tortoises, Chelonoidis vicina,
on the rim of Volcan Alcedo, Galápagos, Ecuador.
Photo by Peter C.H. Pritchard

Access the latest updates to our massive
CBFTT Monograph Project:

Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises

Published by Chelonian Research Foundation and Turtle Conservancy

119 separate accounts, 2,008 pages total,
158 species and subspecies covered,
and 9 annotated checklists
(8 for modern taxa, 1 for recently extinct taxa),
by 242 contributing authors

Most recent update published online here on
28 March 2022

Four Most Recent Accounts:

Kinosternon sonoriense – Sonora Mud Turtle (119)
Pelomedusa barbata – Arabian Helmeted Turtle (118)
Testudo graeca (Western Subspecies Clade) – Mediterranean Spur-thighed Tortoise (117)
Kinosternon baurii — Striped Mud Turtle (116)

Access the latest update of our
Checklist of Turtles of the World:

Turtles of the World: Annotated Checklist and Atlas of Taxonomy,
Synonymy, Distribution, and Conservation Status (9th Ed.)

by the
Turtle Taxonomy Working Group
of the IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group
Anders G.J. Rhodin, John B. Iverson, Roger Bour (†), Uwe Fritz,
Arthur Georges, H. Bradley Shaffer, and Peter Paul van Dijk

9 annotated checklists currently available
(8 in the CBFTT monograph project)

Latest update published online here on
15 November 2021

Access the latest update to our
“Turtles in Trouble” reports on the
World’s 25+ Most Endangered Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles:

compiled and published by the
IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group (TFTSG)
in collaboration with the
Turtle Conservation Fund (TCF)
and the Turtle Conservation Coalition (TCC)

4 quadrennial Top 25 Lists currently available

Latest update posted online here on
3 March 2018

Behler Turtle Conservation Award
2022 Honoree – Vivian Páez

Honoring Excellence, Outstanding Contributions, and Leadership
in the International Chelonian Conservation and Biology Communities

The “Nobel Prize” of Turtle Conservation

Vivian P. Páez

Pritchard Turtle Conservation Awards

Honoring Lifetime Achievements in Turtle Conservation and Biology

2022 Honorees

Ronald J. Brooks

Robert T. Zappalorti

Access our

Checklist of Extinct Pleistocene and Holocene Turtles of the World:

Turtles and Tortoises of the World During the Rise and Global Spread of Humanity:
First Checklist and Review of Extinct Pleistocene and Holocene Chelonians

by the
Turtle Extinctions Working Group
[Anders G.J. Rhodin, Scott Thomson, Georgios L. Georgalis, Hans-Volker Karl, Igor G. Danilov, Akio Takahashi,
Marcelo S. de la Fuente, Jason R. Bourque, Massimo Delfino, Roger Bour, John B. Iverson, H. Bradley Shaffer, and Peter Paul van Dijk]
of the IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group

1 annotated checklist currently available

Published online here on
16 April 2015

Access the latest updates to our
TFTSG Turtle Taxonomy Literature Database:

Turtles of the World:
Online Turtle Taxonomic Literature Database and PDF Library

compiled and collected by the
Turtle Taxonomy Working Group
of the IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group

958 turtle PDF’s currently available,

Latest additions posted online here on
29 July 2019

PDF’s added in 2013–2019 are marked

(Banner photo: Malayan Snail-eating Turtle, Malayemys macrocephala, from Thailand; photo by Peter Paul van Dijk)