Our organization protects and conserves
wild freshwater turtles, and their habitats,
on Okinawa Island.
What We Do
The Problems
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Okinawa Prefecture has no ongoing conservation plan(s) for the wild populations of freshwater turtles.
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The natural environment of Okinawa Island is shrinking due to land development.
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Turtle deaths occur on roads due to vehicle accidents.
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Two of the species, the Ryukyu black-breasted leaf turtle and Yellow-margined box turtle, are endangered and smuggled for the exotic pet trade.
Our Solutions
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Determine the effective population sizes and develop programs for maintaining wild turtle populations, namely for the endangered species.
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Work with land developers to aid in surveying the land prior to land development.
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Disseminate educational information to locals, visitors, and private conservation/preservation groups abroad that keep one or more of these turtles.
Follow
@Okinawakamecentre
About Us
The yamagame (Geoemyda japonica Fan, 1931) is a small forest dwelling species found in the Ryukyu archipelago of southern Japan, namely on Okinawa Island, Kume Island, and Tokashiki Island. In an effort to protect this turtle species, the Japanese government designated them as a National Natural Monument in 1975 however this restricted research efforts. There is currently only one field study permitted by the Japanese government (The Ministry of the Environment) and is was started by Mr. Otani in the year 2000. The study focuses on the capture-mark-recapture of turtles throughout the year in Yanbaru National Park. At the field site, Mr. Otani has identified hundreds of unique individuals and has gained invaluable knowledge about their habitat, behavior, and ecology. Unfortunately, each passing year sees fewer and fewer turtles. The yamagame is listed as endangered, and is thought to be in decline due to continuous land development and poaching for the pet trade. The government has no ongoing conservation plan for the yamagame and without Mr. Otani’s study, there would be no way of monitoring the wild populations. Unfortunately, Mr. Otani has reached retirement age and needs help to continue the study. In 2019, Aya Narukiyo and Dr. Zach Bell heard Mr. Otani’s many stories about the yamagame and wanted to help him. By 2020, they founded the Okinawa Kame Centre, a nonprofit organisation focused on protecting and conserving the yamagame, and their habitat, on Okinawa Island. Since then the organization has even expanded their conservation efforts to include two additional species, the Yellow-margined box turtle and the Yellow pond turtle.
Tsutomu Otani
Director
Belonged to the Takada Reptile Research Institute since the age of 23. Came to Okinawa in 1975.
Taking advantage of Okinawa's climate and natural features, he has bred reptiles from all over the world, including crocodiles, lizards, and turtles.
Has conducted research on the Ryukyu black-breasted leaf turtle since 2000 as his personal life's work.
Our Supporters
Simon Rouot
Turtle Conservancy
Dr. Job Stumpel
WILDLANDS Adventure Zoo Emmen
Prof. Craig Stanford
Chair, IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group, Professor of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California
We need your support
Donations
Card (debit or credit)
You can easily donate a small amount ( any currency ) through Syncable, which allows you to make one-time and regular donations.
( Many international cards are available. )
Bank transfer (only Japanese Yen )
The Bank of Okinawa
Branch name: Onna Village Branch
Branch number : 320
Deposit type : Ordinary
Account number : 1308394
We are recruiting volunteers
For more info, please see here*Please note that we are unable to guide you into the field.
Where
you can see the turtles
For the protection of the animals, we currently do not take people to our research survey site. With that said, we do encourage you to visit these facilities to see the animals.
Japan
Ryukyu black-breasted leaf turtle (yamagame)
Yellow-margined box turtle (hakogame)
Yellow pond turtle
Ryukyu black-breasted leaf turtle (yamagame)
Yellow-margined box turtle (hakogame)
Ryukyu black-breasted leaf turtle (yamagame)
Yellow-margined box turtle (hakogame)
Ryukyu black-breasted leaf turtle (yamagame)
Ryukyu black-breasted leaf turtle (yamagame)
Ryukyu black-breasted leaf turtle (yamagame)
Save Okinawa Wildlife.