LETTERS as well. With the rapid economic development in recent decades, construction of hydropower plants, coastal development, water pollution, and other human activities have destroyed the turtles’ habitat (8, 9). Meanwhile, the invasion of alien turtles threatens the survival of native turtles (10). For example, the red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans), one of the world’s 100 most invasive species, is farmed in China and has been widely found in the wild, causing serious ecological risks (10).

The Chinese government must urgently implement measures to protect wild turtles. Ecological education efforts should work to shift the expression of cultural love for turtles from consumption to conservation. The government should also strengthen the enforcement of the Wildlife Protection Law of China (11) to crack down on poaching and illegal trade of wild turtles and to prevent and control the invasion risk of alien turtles. Finally, despite their endangered status on the Red List (1), only one-third of China’s wild turtles are currently included on the National Key-Protected Species List (12), an appendix of the Wildlife Protection Law of China that lists species in need of protection. To ensure legal and enforceable protection, China should update the Protected Species List to include all endangered turtle species. Jun Wu1, Yanqing Wu1, Dingqi Rao2, Ting Zhou3, Shiping Gong4*