In the case of a restricted-range species, like the Roti Snakeneck Turtle Chelodina mccordi , this pressure was intense enough that traders now consider it commercially extinct and conservationists suggest moving the species from 'Vulnerable' in 1996 to 'Critically Endangered' in the present Red List. Public Awareness of the Extent and Impacts of the Turtle Trade Public awareness and education are important tools in any long-term conservation strategy. Awareness of the trade in turtles and other wildlife works at different levels. Culturally and emotionally, unsustainable trade leads to the loss of a group of species from peoples' daily lives, customs and conceptual world, thus leaving a poorer world for their children. Ecologically, the role of Asian turtles is almost unknown, and it will be close to impossible to ever obtain that knowledge or restore this role once a species has disappeared from the wild.
Turtles can serve as a focal point in general conservation awareness programs.
Conservation can be presented on television and integrated in global marketing and donor aid programs. Turtles must be portrayed as a conservation priority, as animals with an intrinsic value to share the Earth, not just a commodity to be exploited. Culture-sensitive information can contribute greatly to turtle conservation in source and consumer countries. References Jenkins, Martin D. 1995.