Western Ghats Testudine Recovery Project

Hidden within the lush understorey of the Western Ghats, one of the world’s great biodiversity hotspots, lives two remarkable but little-known survivors of India’s natural heritage: The Cochin Forest Cane Turtle (Vijayachelys sylvatica), the smallest turtle in the country, barely larger than the palm of a hand and the Travancore Tortoise (Indotestudo travancorica), a gentle forest-dweller with a domed shell that can grow over a foot long.

The Cochin Forest Cane Turtle is a small, terrestrial species, found only in the southern Western Ghats of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka. Restricted to forest floors between 200–800 m above sea level, this species faces mounting threats from habitat destruction due to expanding agriculture/plantations, forest fires, drowning of habitat due to dam construction, and hunting by locals, leading to its classification as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Sharing these forests is the larger and more visible Travancore Tortoise, a Vulnerable species inhabiting evergreen and moist deciduous forests, bamboo thickets, and even plantations between 100–1000 m. Although it occurs more widely, it is no less threatened — habitat conversion, submergence due to dams, and hunting continue to deplete its numbers.

The project focuses on the recovery of the Cochin Forest Cane Turtle and Travancore in the wild while addressing the threats that the species faces. The project intends to: –

1. Identify and secure conservation priority areas for the recovery of Cochin Cane Turtle and Travancore Tortoise
2. Incorporate indigenous knowledge into effective turtle conservation efforts aimed at the recovery of the Cochin Cane Turtle and the Travancore Tortoise in the wild, while also reducing illicit trade in Indian Star Tortoises. This includes understanding the perceptions, traditional knowledge, and attitudes of the Kadar and Muthuvan communities, and identifying conservation challenges they face.
3. Use radio telemetry studies to understand microhabitat requirements.

In 2025, we initiated a radio-telemetry study in Vazhachal Forest Division, in partnership with Vazhachal Forest Development Agency. Two Travancore tortoises and one cane turtle have been attached with radio transmitters and monitored. We plan to radio-tag more individuals of both species in 2026-27.

We also intend to conduct capacity-building events for the field staff of Vazhachal, Chalakkudy, and Malayatoor forest divisions. Our long-term goal also includes working with traditional forest dwellers of this region to protect these turtles with whom they share the forest.

PARTNERS: Vazhachal Forest Development Agency, Kerala Forest & Wildlife Department

PROJECT LEAD: Dr. Harikrishnan S