Turtle trade flourishing in Indonesia

Indonesia has failed to crack down on the illegal trade in protected tortoises and turtles which are openly sold in Jakarta's markets, according to activists. Wildlife monitoring group TRAFFIC found that 49 species were being traded in 2010 compared to 47 in 2004, when a similar survey was carried out, with most species coming from outside Indonesia. "The 2010 data confirms previous findings about the levels of illegal trade in freshwater turtles and tortoises in Jakarta’s markets and also demonstrates how it has persisted," researcher Carrie J. Stengel said. "Of further concern is the apparent increasing emphasis on rare and threatened species in the pet trade." TRAFFIC said that despite Indonesian laws against the trade in endangered species, more were on sale in local markets in 2010 than six years earlier, including the black spotted pond turtle, Egyptian tortoise, Indian peacock softshell and the spider tortoise. "The wildlife markets and expos in Jakarta need to be carefully monitored and anyone found selling illegal species must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law," the group's deputy regional director Chris R. Shepherd said. "These markets have been selling illegal wildlife for decades and it is time the authorities show this will not be tolerated any longer."