Painted terrapin  (Callagur borneoensis)

This species is now rare throughout much of its former range, with only one or two rivers home to more than 100 nesting females (2). Painted terrapins are massively exploited for their eggs, which are sold for human consumption in many parts of Asia (5). Terrapin eggs are worth five times as much as chicken eggs, and this species is particularly vulnerable to over-exploitation due to its low egg productivity (2). Habitat destruction is another major source of species decline; sand mining, beach protection and beachfront development all disrupt the breeding habits of the terrapins (2).

International trade in painted terrapins is banned by its listing on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) (1), and protective legislation is also in place in most of Peninsular Malaysia (2). Egg harvesting may only be carried out by licensed collectors who then sell 70 percent of their haul to the Malaysian Fisheries Department to be incubated, thus ensuring the sustainable management of this species (2). Prices offered by the Fisheries Department are however, not competitive with those obtained on the black market and in the majority of cases only a very small percentage of turtle eggs are recovered (2). The enforcement of these schemes is a priority for future conservation action plans, along with the protection of areas where significant populations are known to exist. A decline in the demand for terrapin eggs is the key to saving this species from extinction, but would require a cultural change amongst local communities.