The western swamp turtle, an Australian species that occasionally wears a coat of algae, is one of many evolutionarily unique animals facing a disproportionately high threat from human activity, including climate change.
In a study that analysed more than 30,000 species of birds, mammals and reptiles, at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel and his colleagues mapped the global hotspots that were home to the most evolutionarily unique and geographically isolated species, including the western swamp turtle (Pseudemydura umbrina).
These regions were mainly islands found in the tropics and聽mountainous regions. They included several Caribbean islands and Sri Lanka.
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Additionally, the team found that the wildlife protection in these areas is largely inadequate. In 70 per cent of the regions, less than 10 per cent of land is .
鈥淎cross all these priority regions, there is much higher human pressure than surrounding regions, driven by urban expansion, increased agricultural practices and human population density,鈥� says at the Zoological Society of London. 鈥淭hese regions also face increased rates of climate change going forward. A lot of these species are losing their remaining habitat now.鈥�
In the case of western swamp turtles, which live in a handful of freshwater swamps in Western Australia, the combination of human activity and climate change is already causing their natural habitats to become more arid. The animals, which are classified as critically endangered, sit on an evolutionary branch that diverged from other turtles some 90 million years ago. 鈥淭heir loss would represent millions of years of unique characteristics,鈥� says Gumbs.
As a result, conservationists in Australia are beginning to relocate the turtles, introducing them to new swamps 鈥� the first assisted migrations of animals due to climate change, says Gumbs.
鈥淥ur findings highlight the urgent need for conservation plans to safeguard the regions that hold the world鈥檚 unique and isolated species,鈥� says Murali.
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