Temporal changes in freshwater turtle assemblage in Gomti River, North India

Abstract

We conducted mark-recapture surveys in 1992 and 2003 in the Gomti River, North Pradesh, India, to
assess temporal variation in the geomydid turtle assemblage. The Crowned River Turtle (Hardella thurjii) was the most
abundant species in 1992 and the Indian Tent Turtle (Pangshura tentoria) was most abundnat in 2003, with the population
of H. thurjii showing a substantial decline. The Three-striped Roofed Turtle (Batagur dhongoka) had apparently
disappeared from the river in 2003, presumably due to urbanization and development along the river. Our study suggests
that long-term monitoring of freshwater turtle populations is required to understand the population trends across
space and time and for determining the influence of environmental and anthropogenic drivers in the Gomti River.