Recently, our collaborative work toward the designation of the first Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) based on distinct genetic diversity came to fruition in Colombia. Research on the critically endangered Dahl’s Toad-headed Turtle (Mesoclemmys dahli) by Turtle Survival Alliance and the Wildlife Conservation Society revealed four genetically distinct subpopulations with limited gene flow, leading to high levels of inbreeding. The newly designated KBA, La Carranchina Natural Reserve, in Sucre, Colombia, protects 30% of the Dahl’s Toad-headed Turtle’s unique genetic diversity, crucial for its survival. This landmark underscores the importance of conserving genetic variation within species, setting a global precedent in biodiversity conservation efforts.
This designation was made possible by the Wildlife Conservation Society, Turtle Survival Alliance, Rainforest Trust, and the Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt, and with the guidance of the KBA Regional Focal Point for Latin America.
Natalia Gallego-García, PhD, Director of Conservation Genetics at Turtle Survival Alliance, works in collaboration with Wildlife Conservation Society Colombia to manage the genetic diversity of this population. Per Gallego-García, “By protecting a proportion of the Dahl’s Toad-headed Turtle’s unique genetic diversity, we are not only preserving a species but also setting a global precedent. This effort underscores how understanding and safeguarding genetic variation is key to ensuring the resilience and long-term survival of endangered species.”
German Forero-Medina, PhD, Science and Conservation Director, Wildlife Conservation Society Colombia, comments, “The designation of this site as a KBA highlights its relevance for the conservation of the species, its populations, and its genetic diversity. We will continue to work hard to recover the species, with the reserve as the strategic core area for this process.”
La Carranchina Natural Reserve is a 297-acre (120-ha) property purchased by Turtle Survival Alliance, Wildlife Conservation Society, and Rainforest Trust in 2019. The historic acquisition established the first reserve dedicated to the preservation of a turtle species in Colombia.
Header image: La Carranchina Natural Reserve, in Sucre, Colombia. Photo by Daniël Nelson.
