Distribution, Status and Conservation of Freshwater Turltes in the Selected Areas of Sindh

Abstract

In Pakistan populations of turtles are extensively declining due to environmental degradation, deterioration of habitat, urbanization, unlawful capture, anthropogenic activities, and modification in riverbanks. In this study seven districts of Sindh included Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, Dadu, Khairpur, Sanghar and Sukkur district were selected for the study of distribution and population status of freshwater turtles. Three years surveys were carried out from 2015 to 2017 and during the study Eight species of freshwater turtles were recorded from Sindh including as the Pangshura smithii (Brown roofed turtle), Pangshura tecta (Indian roofed turtle), Lissemys punctata (Indian flapshell turtle), Hardella thurjii (Crowned river turtle) Nilssonia gangeticus (Indian softshell turtle) Nilssonia hurum (Indian peacock softshell turtle) Geoclemys hamiltonii (Spotted pond turtle) and Chitra indica (Indian narrow headed softshell turtle). The mean percentage population of different species of turtle from all selected study sites of Sindh for year 2015 recorded as Pangshura smithii (11.15%), Pangshura tecta (11.64%), Lissemys punctata (12.91%), Hardella thurjii (13.48%), Nilssonia gangeticus (16.76%), Nilssonia hurum (11.58%), Geoclemys hamiltonii (12.68%), and Chitra indica (9.92%). Nilssonia gangeticus (16.76%) found as most common, while Chitra indica (9.92%) as less common. The data recorded from Thatta district in 2015 included Pangshura smithii (13.9%), Pangshura tecta (10.47%), Lissemys punctata (20.70%), Hardella thurjii (11.94%), Nilssonia gangeticus (12.29%), Nilssonia hurum (17.70%), Chitra indica (2.41%), and Geoclemys hamiltonii (11.47%). The population status of freshwater turtles in Sujawal district for the year 2015 was as, Pangshura smithii (11.31%), Pangshura tecta (16.90%), Lissemys punctata (9.20%), Hardella thurjii (15.65%), Nilssonia gangeticus (22.62%), Nilssonia hurum (9.66%), Chitra indica (8.02%), and Geoclemys hamiltonii (6.64%). The population diversity of freshwater turtles for 2015 from study sites of Badin district, as follows Pangshura smithii (10.79%), Pangshura tecta (12%), Lissemys punctata (11.09%), Hardella thurjii (16.08%), Nilssonia gangeticus (11.32%), Nilssonia hurum (11.77%), Chitra indica (14.11%), Geoclemys hamiltonii (12.83%), and Hardella thurjii (16.08%). The recorded data for year 2015 from different localities of Dadu district included Pangshura smithii (12.03%), Pangshura tecta (7.58%), Lissemys punctata (8.30%), Hardella thurjii (13.84%), Nilssonia gangeticus (20.82%), Nilssonia hurum (12.64%), Chitra indica (7.94%), and Geoclemys hamiltonii (16.85%). The population distribution from localities of Khairpur district for year 2015 included Pangshura smithii (13.69%), Pangshura tecta (11.15%), Lissemys punctata (14.32%), Hardella thurjii (9.63%), Nilssonia gangeticus (20.41%), Nilssonia hurum (10.01%), Chitra indica (8.75%), and Geoclemys hamiltonii (12.04%). The population recorded in year 2015 from wetlands of Sanghar district was Pangshura smithii (9.18%), Pangshura tecta (11.34%), Lissemys punctata (18.22%), Hardella thurjii (11.54%), Nilssonia gangeticus (19.82%), Nilssonia hurum (9.32%), Chitra indica (8.76%), and Geoclemys hamiltonii (11.82%). The data for year 2015 from Left Bank of Sukkur Barrage was recorded as Pangshura smithii (11.16%), Pangshura tecta (11.88%), Lissemys punctata (15.73%), Hardella thurjii (12.61%), Nilssonia gangeticus (12.00%), Nilssonia hurum (12.48%), Chitra indica (12.61%), and Geoclemys hamiltonii (11.52%). The population estimation from Right Bank of Sukkur Barrage for year 2015 was recorded as Pangshura smithii (7.09%), Pangshura tecta (11.76%), Lissemys punctata (5.73%), Hardella thurjii (16.59%), Nilssonia gangeticus (14.78%), Nilssonia hurum (9.05%), Geoclemys hamiltonii (18.25%), and Chitra indica (16.74%). The mean percentages of population status data from Sindh for year 2016 included Pangshura smithii (12.41%), Pangshura tecta (12.84%), Lissemys punctata (11.91%), Hardella thurjii (14.86%), Nilssonia gangeticus (10.75%), Nilssonia hurum (12.68%), Geoclemys hamiltonii (12.47%), Chitra indica (12.02%), and Hardella thurjii (14.86%). The population status of turtles estimated in different wetlands of Thatta district in year 2016 was recorded as Pangshura smithii (14.5%), Pangshura tecta (16.4%), Lissemys punctata (15.09%), Hardella thurji (16.74%), Nilssonia gangeticus (9.47%), Nilssonia hurum (13.19%), Chitra indica (2.69%), and Geoclemys hamiltonii (11.85%). The population status from Sujawal district in the year 2016 was recorded as Pangshura smithii (14.45%) Lissemys punctata (12.26%), Hardella thurjii (11.81%), Nilssonia gangeticus (10.13%) Pangshura tecta (13.48%), Nilssonia hurum (14.06%), Chitra indica (10.45%), and Geoclemys hamiltonii (13.35%). Population in selected sites of Badin district for year 2016 was recorded as Pangshura smithii (12.63%), Pangshura tecta (17.32%), Lissemys punctata (11.60%) and Nilssonia hurum (13.82%), Hardella thurjii (10.17%), Nilssonia gangeticus (10.09%), Chitra indica (13.19%), and Geoclemys hamiltonii (11.20%). Population richness in selected sites of Dadu district for year 2016 included Lissemys punctata (7.92%) Nilssonia hurum (12.17%) Nilssonia gangeticus (8.98%) Pangshura smithii (12.53%), Hardella thurjii (19.74%), Geoclemys hamiltonii (20.92%) and Chitra indica (9.46%). The population data from Khairpur district in the year 2016 were recorded as Pangshura smithii (7.19%), Nilssonia gangeticus (8.82%), Geoclemys hamiltonii (11.83%), Pangshura tecta (13.23%), Lissemys punctata (15.31%), Hardella thurjii (14.15%), Nilssonia hurum (11.37%), and Chitra indica (18.10%). Population distribution in selected sites of Sanghar district for year 2016 was recorded as Pangshura tecta (7.94%), Lissemys punctata (14.79%), Nilssonia gangeticus (15.80%), Pangshura smithii (11.60%), Hardella thurjii (21.79%), Nilssonia hurum (11.52%), Chitra indica (12.30%) and Geoclemys hamiltonii (4.28%). The data recorded from Left Bank of Sukkur Barrage in year 2016 include Lissemys punctata (6.95%), Nilssonia gangeticus (11.25%), Chitra indica (11.76%), Pangshura smithii (14.92%), Pangshura tecta (14.79%), Hardella thurjii (14.66%), Nilssonia hurum (12.14%), and Geoclemys hamiltonii (13.53%). Population diversity from Right Bank of Sukkur Barrage for year 2016 was recorded as Hardella thurjii (9.81%), Pangshura tecta (11.23%), Nilssonia gangeticus (14.78%), Geoclemys hamiltonii (12.82%), Lissemys punctata (11.39%), Nilssonia hurum (13.13%), Pangshura smithii (11.39%), and Chitra indica (18.20%). The mean percentages data from selected districts of Sindh for year 2017 included Pangshura smithii (13.16%), Pangshura tecta (14.26%), Lissemys punctata (13.55%), Hardella thurjii (16.24%), Nilssonia gangeticus (10.09%), Nilssonia hurum (12.09%), Geoclemys hamiltonii (10.49%), and Chitra indica (10.11%). Hardella thurjii. The estimated data of population diversity of turtles from Thatta district in year 2017 were recorded as Pangshura smithii (16.16%), Pangshura tecta (17.97%), Lissemys punctata (21.73%), Hardella thurjii (13.62%), Nilssonia gangeticus (9.79%), Nilssonia hurum (8.58%), Chitra indica (1.34%), and Geoclemys hamiltonii (10.8%). The population richness in Sujawal district for year 2017 were recorded as Pangshura smithii (16.41%), Pangshura tecta (14.97%), Hardella thurjii (12.97%), Nilssonia gangeticus (10.83%), Geoclemys hamiltonii (13.72%), Lissemys punctata (14.97%) and Chitra indica (2.55%). Population status of freshwater turtles in Badin district for year 2017 included Pangshura smithii (8.47%), Nilssonia gangeticus (9.98%), Nilssonia hurum (11.18%), Chitra indica (12.30%), Geoclemys hamiltonii (7.27%), Pangshura tecta (20.21%), Lissemys punctata (18.29%), and Hardella thurjii (12.30). The estimated record of population richness from wetlands of Dadu district for year 2107 included Hardella thurjii (18.92%), Nilssonia gangeticus (6.49%), Nilssonia hurum (11.98%), Geoclemys hamiltonii (7.66%) Pangshura smithii (15.50%), Pangshura tecta (11.98%), Lissemys punctata (12.07%), and Chitra indica (15.41%). The population diversity in Khairpur district for year 2017 was recorded as Pangshura tecta (8.77%), Lissemys punctata (12.07%), Hardella thurji (11.69%), Chitra indica (14.49%), Nilssonia hurum (13.09%), Pangshura smithi (15.63%), Geoclemys hamiltoni (12.33%) and Nilssonia gangeticus (11.94%). The estimated population of turtles from selected localities of Sanghar district for year 2017 included Pangshura smithii (5.54%), Nilssonia gangeticus (5.08%), Chitra indica (7.76%), Lissemys punctata (14.13%) Nilssonia hurum (10.06%), Hardella thurjii (24.01%), Pangshura tecta (19.11%), Geoclemys hamiltonii (14.31%). Population distribution of turtles observed from Right Bank of Sukkur Barrage for year 2017 included Pangshura tecta (7.13%), Lissemys punctata (6.19%), Geoclemys hamiltonii (7.50%), Nilssonia hurum (9.38%), Chitra indica (14.45%), Pangshura smithii (13.51%), Hardella thurjii (22.89%), Nilssonia gangeticus (18.95%). Population richness estimated from Left Bank of Sukkur Barrage for year 2017 included Pangshura tecta (13.93%), Hardella thurjii (13.57%), Geoclemys hamiltonii (13.53%), Nilssonia gangeticus (7.68%), Lissemys punctata (11.88%), Nilssonia hurum (15.97%), and Chitra indica (12.61%). Based on three years data from 2015 to 2017, it estimated that overall population status of freshwater turtles calculated has been recorded as Hardella thurjii (14.86%), Pangshura tecta (12.91%), Lissemys punctata (12.79%), Nilssonia gangeticus (12.53%), Pangshura smithii (12.24%), Nilssonia hurum (12.12%),Geoclemys hamiltonii (11.88%), Chitra indica (10.68%). Based on present study results Hardella thurjii has been recorded as most common, while Pangshura tecta, Lissemys punctata, and Nilssonia gangeticus as less common whereas Geoclemys hamiltonii and Chitra indica as comparatively least sighted species. Statistical analysis of all three years of data from different districts shows the highest level of Shannon diversity Index from Sukkur District (2.07) which mentions the highest diversity in canals of Sukkur Barrage while Highest Evenness Index was found from Khairpur district (0.45), which demonstrates the most evenly distributed populations of freshwater turtles in wetlands of Khairpur. Hunting and Illegal trade were recorded as major threats for the survival of freshwater turtles. Over exploitation, habitat destruction and anthropogenic activities also found to be affecting their population status. Several measures have been taken for their conservation by IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management, West & Central Asia, WWF Pakistan, Sindh Wildlife Department, Zoological Survey of Pakistan and Department of Zoology (Wildlife Section), University of Karachi.