Since they first evolved in the Permian wetlands some 200 million years ago, turtles have succeeded in expanding their domain to include both marine and terrestrial environments. Having outlived the dinosaurs, many turtles now face great challenges to their existence. Deterioration of turtle habitats as well as overexploitation for food, shell products, and pet markets have precipitated a conservation crisis for nearly half of the world's 260 turtle and tortoise species. Many of the turtles that exist today, although seemingly abundant, are members of "living dead" populations that are composed mainly of aging adults with limited reproductive prospects.Turtle Conservation provides a comprehensive analysis of threats to turtles and tortoises worldwide. Considering the most significant problems facing the group, Michael Klemens and eighteen international experts on turtle biology and conservation chart successes and failures of past conservation programs, discuss the use of genetics and demography in turtle conservation, and propose more effective strategies that take into account chelonian biology as well as the economic and social situations that affect turtle conservation efforts. They review the outlook for marine, freshwater, semi-aquatic, and terrestrial species and propose that turtle and tortoise conservation efforts be integrated into more broadly focused land-use projects.For land and wildlife managers as well as herpetologists and conservation biologists, this book is a wide-ranging survey of efforts to conserve one of world's most ancient and endangered groups.