Afghan tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii)

Species information

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Threats

In some parts of its expansive range, the Afghan tortoise has been heavily exploited for food by local people as well as for the pet trade (5) (6). Between 1965 and 1971, 119,319 specimens of this species were imported into the United Kingdom alone (5). In addition, habitat destruction and degradation due to warfare, farming, livestock grazing and development have all contributed to the decline of this species, and its future looks increasingly uncertain (6).

Conservation

Its listing on Appendix II of CITES helps regulate the numbers of this species that can be exported. However, CITES quotas still permit Uzbekistan to export 22,000 wild-caught specimens, Tajikistan 20,000 wild-caught specimens and Kazakhstan 40,000 live specimens a year (3). Stabilization of the political climate and education of local peoples would contribute to a more promising future for the Afghan tortoise (6).