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Researcher: Abdul Wahab Akonda
There are twenty species of fresh water turtles and
tortoises in Bangladesh. Most of them are on the verge
of extinction due to overuse of land and water for agricultural
practices, over exploitation of water resources, and
local consumption for food (usually eaten by Hindu and
certain tribal communities) and traditional medicines.
The objectives of this research is to establish best
practice of captive breeding and rearing of freshwater
turtles and tortoises for sustainable conservation by
creating awareness among the rural people on conservation
of fresh water turtles and tortoises vis-a- vis bio-diversity,
and organizing and training of people to participate
in breeding and rearing of flap-shell turtle for such
conservation and poverty reduction. The research will
also assess the prospect of income generation by estimating
the rate of return on the investment made in small-scale
turtle breeding projects. The result of this research
is expected to establish people's ownership in sustainable
conservation of freshwater turtles and tortoises and
creation of a model of participatory rearing/breeding
of selected species of turtles and tortoise. The transfer
of the breeding and rearing technology to the rural
poor is also expected to improve their economic condition.
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