After much delay, my travel to Vietnam is finally booked for August! I will be starting my trip in Northern Vietnam where I will visit the Turtle Conservation Center in Cuc Phuong National Park. Here I will see their new Cuora picturata (South Vietnamese box turtle) facilities and help out with animal care. I will then be traveling south, stopping at the Song Hinh, Tuy Hoa, Sao La Nature Preserve, and Bach Ma National Park to visits field sites and the local communities.

Through this Conservation Nation Grant, threat assessments and community engagement activities have been implemented over the last year to improve the conservation outlook for Cuora bourreti (Bourret’s box turtle) and the South Vietnamese box turtle. The goal is the build capacity for confiscated turtles and conservation breeding groups in several new localities, so site visits at potential facilities near wild populations and educational outreach with local communities are critical for success.

I am looking forward to assisting my Vietnamese colleagues and seeing all the hard work they have done over the last year to save these species from extinction.