Abstract

A decade ago, several publications summarized the state of knowledge on Colombia’s non-marine turtle species, and in 2015, the Colombian Red Book of Reptiles assessed their national conservation status, yielding information to guide research and conservation priorities in this biodiverse country. However, a recent initiative has produced or updated the global extinction risk assessments of Latin American non-marine turtle species. We summarize the current state of knowledge on Colombian populations of these species and propose new research and conservation priorities. The number of threatened turtle species in Colombia and the magnitude of the threats they face are greater than previously thought. Despite advances in research on the Colombian populations of these species, knowledge biases exist across species, with many important aspects of their life histories and population trends poorly understood. Given the speed of habitat loss and degradation, the current levels of exploitation, and the lack of enforcement of the legislation that protects them, we predict continued declines in population densities and distributions. We emphasize the need for more life-history studies and monitoring of population trends and threats to assign a more realistic category of national extinction risk and request the implementation of conservation legislation and the establishment of conservation programs.

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