Assessor: Krystal Tolley
Tortoises are very popular in the international pet trade and numerous species are illegally collected and smuggled across the world each year (e.g. Rosen & Smith 2010, Auliya et al. 2016). In the international market various species of South African tortoises are regularly found, many with dubious origins (Auliya et al. 2016). There have been a number of cases where foreign nationals have been arrested and fined for attempting to smuggle tortoises out of South Africa (Auliya et al. 2016). Although no specific information is available for Homopus signatus it is known to be collected illegally, but the extent and trend of this is unknown (Baard & Hofmeyr 2017). The species is a CITES Appendix II species and there has been regular trade of live specimens from 1979 until the most recent record in 2016 (UNEP-WCMC 2018). CITES records indicate that over the past 37 years 268 tortoises have been collected from the wild, with the most recent export of 10 wild caught tortoises occurring in 2015 for addition to a captive breeding program in the Netherlands (Loehr 2015; UNEP-WCMC 2018). There is very little evidence of illegal trade in the species, with only one CITES record of a confiscated tortoise in 2007(UNEP-WCMC 2018). The CITES data does not suggest that exploitation of wild caught animals is substantial.
UNEP-WCMC, 2018. CITES trade statistics derived from the CITES Trade Database, UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, UK.
Homopus signatus has only 3 known sub-populations, is at risk of localized extinctions due to habitat transformation and has suffered an inferred population decline of ~30 % over the past three generations (75 years) (Baard & Hofmeyr 2017). Furthermore, a recent study by Loehr (2017) found there to be a 66 % decline in a H. signatus population whilst at the same time seeing a marked increase in pied crows, Corvus alba, at their study site. The impact of pied crows on tortoise populations is a rising concern (Fincham & Lambrechts 2014) which can severely impact tortoise populations.
Animals that are in trade are permanently removed from the wild.
Homopus signatus is a long lived iteroparous species of tortoise that produces single egg clutches during spring (Loehr 2008), takes several years to reach sexual maturity and has a long generation length of 25 years (Baard & Hofmeyr 2017). These tortoises are the smallest known tortoise and they have a unique reproductive strategy, with clutch size and egg size being influenced by annual rainfall (Hofmeyr et al. 2005, Loehr 2008). Their conservative reproductive strategy implies that H. signatus has a low rate of population growth (Loehr et al. 2004). Changes in habitat and climate, increased predation and any form of collection of individuals from the wild would therefore impact this species regeneration potential severely.