Chaco tortoise  (Geochelone chilensis)

The Chaco tortoise is collected from the wild and exploited for the pet trade and sometimes for food (2) (6). Juveniles have been captured and sold domestically as pets since the 1950s, but it was not until the 1980s that international demand began to grow, as trade in other tortoise species became progressively banned (6). Despite protection by national and provincial laws, 20,000 to 50,000 of these tortoises are estimated to be collected annually in Argentina for the domestic pet trade, mainly from the provinces of Córdoba and Santiago del Estero (2) (6). Additional threats include free-ranging livestock, which compete for food and trample both vegetation and tortoise burrows. Local burning practices may also impact populations by directly injuring or killing the tortoises, particularly juveniles, as well as reducing the overall diversity of plant foods available to the species (2). Like many other tortoises, the Chaco tortoise has a late onset of maturity and low reproductive rate, making diminished populations slow to recover (5).

The Chaco tortoise is listed on Appendix II of CITES, limiting and regulating its international trade (3).