The risk assessment is commissioned by the Norwegian Environment Agency to be used for processing permits on import and export of tortoises and tortoise products to and from Norway.

Objectives

The risk assessment is to be conducted based on the criteria given in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The focus of the assignment is primarily on species of terrestrial turtles that have been imported/exported to/from Norway since 2010.

VKM will assess available knowledge about distribution, life history, habitat, ecological roles, and population trends. VKM will also assess the extent of legal and illegal harvesting and of breeding in captivity and trade, while evaluating the threat that trade poses to the survival of these species.

Project group

The VKM project group consists of:

Eli K. Rueness, VKM Panel on CITES (Chair of the project group)
Hugo de Boer, VKM Panel on CITES
Berit Gehrke, VKM Panel on CITES
Matthew Grainger, VKM Panel on CITES
Jo Skeie Hermansen, VKM Secretariat (Project Manager)
Daniel Flø, VKM Secretariat

The risk assessment is subject to approval by the Panel on CITES with supplementation, and is scheduled to be published March 20, 2024.