Giant South American turtle  (Podocnemis expansa)

Threats to this species include poaching of females, collection of eggs and hatchlings, accidental and intentional capture (for food and oil) of adult turtles by fishermen, urban and industrial development near nesting sites, and lack of conservation education (9). Logging and clearing of areas surrounding rivers and damming of rivers can cause the water cycle to be drastically altered. This can confuse the turtles' natural seasonal cycle of nesting which is timed to the alternation of floods and low flows. In addition, premature rising of rivers can flood nesting sites causing reduced hatching success (8).

Climate change can potentially threaten turtle species as the sex of offspring is determined by the temperature at which they are incubated. Should the temperature rise 2 ºC, the ratio of males to females could be severely skewed, and a rapid rise of 4 ºC could possibly eliminate males altogether. Turtles are seen as indicator species that can reveal the effects of climate change on the natural world (10).

With high reproductive potential, the giant South American turtle is expected to be capable of rapid recovery in areas with limited human presence and an environmental management plan. The management plan implemented at Middle Orinoco River has included the protection of nesting beaches, a nursery program for the care and release of hatchlings, and an environmental education program for the public. It has resulted in the slowed decline of nesting turtles and a modest increase in total turtle numbers since 1992 (9). In addition, research has showed that eggs in a clutch laid by one mother may have different fathers, which helps to increase genetic variation and reduces the prevalence of inbreeding defects that result from small populations (11)