Turtle Island

About Turtle Island

Turtle Island in Graz, Austria, is home to the largest and most diverse turtle collection on Earth. It breeds critically endangered turtles and tortoises and helps return them to the wild in countries across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas.

Featured Project: Nepal

Saving endangered turtle species as the Indian Peacock Softshell Turtle, the Black Softshell Turtle, the Tricarinate Hill Turtle, and the Elongated Tortoise: Scaling Rewilding and Conservation in Nepal

Location: Bhadrapur, Nepal. Project page: turtle-island.org/arco-nepal/

Project Objective

The project aims to scale the conservation of Critically Endangered turtle species (as the Indian Peacock Softshell Turtle, the Black Softshell Turtle (Nilssonia nigricans), the Tricarinate Hill Turtle (Melanochelys tricarinata) and the Elongated Tortoise (Indotestudo elongata)) by expanding captive breeding efforts and enabling the systematic reintroduction of individuals into their natural habitats in Nepal. It seeks to establish a self-sustaining wild population while reducing pressure from illegal wildlife trade and habitat loss. In addition, the project will strengthen local conservation capacity and build long-term international partnerships to ensure the species’ survival in the wild. We are running a Rescue and Conservation Center for Turtles (TRCC) in Jhapa District.

Project Description

Nepalese Turtle species are in rapid decline due to illegal trade, habitat destruction, and environmental degradation across South Asia. While Turtle Island has achieved a global breakthrough with the first successful captive breeding of two of the local species, the next critical phase is to translate this success into long-term conservation impact in the wild.

Future funding will enable the expansion of breeding capacity to produce a stable number of healthy juveniles for reintroduction. At the same time, the project will focus on preparing and securing suitable release sites in Nepal in close cooperation with local partners such as ARCO Nepal.

A key component will be the implementation of structured release and monitoring programs to track survival rates, adaptation, and long-term population development. In parallel, the project will invest in local awareness, training, and conservation infrastructure to reduce illegal trade and strengthen on-site protection.

By connecting scientific breeding success with in-situ conservation and international collaboration, the project aims to create a scalable model for saving Asia’s most threatened freshwater turtle species.