Home Depot, the largest home improvement retailer in the U.S. and the largest lumber retailer in the world, urged other companies to join the effort to protect endangered forests. The changes won't affect product prices because the company will absorb any added costs, said Home Depot CEO Arthur Blank. The Rainforest Action Network and other enviro groups applauded the company's decision. The main cause of the crisis is human consumption of the critters, for both food and traditional medicine. The Chinese in particular seem to have an insatiable appetite for turtles, and scientists believe that several Chinese species identified in the last two decades may already be extinct.
China imports large numbers of turtles from Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
More than 7 million turtles are exported annually from the U.S., where many freshwater species have little or no protection. The state legislature is considering a separate bill that would require fishing-free sanctuaries to be established along the state's coast within three years. The concept of no-take zones, though controversial, is backed by enviros, the National Park Service, many scientists, the California Fish and Game Commission, California's secretary for natural resources, and even some fishing groups. All rights reserved.