TACKLING TORTOISESHELL TRAFFICKING

A new DNA database that can link tortoiseshell products to their geographic origin will become a powerful new tool in fighting the poaching of this critically endangered species.

- CANDICE MARSHALL

DO YOU COLLECT souvenirs when you travel? If you're anything like me, then you're bound to have shelf after shelf of mementos from your sojourns in all shapes and sizes - some novel, some deeply sentimental, and some very expensive.

But does your collection include tortoiseshell products?

This is the question WWF-Australia recently asked the nation as part of the conservation organisation's Surrender Your Shell campaign. Not only did WWF broadcast the question to find out if anyone had any of these products, but it also asked for the souvenirs to be handed over, never to be returned.

"Some of these are highly valuable and prized items," says Christine Madden Hof, WWF's global marine turtle conservation lead. "We've had hundreds of items donated. We are really grateful for the willingness of the community in Australia to help."

The Surrender Your Shell campaign offered an amnesty of sorts and was an opportunity for members of the public to hand in these products without fear of repercussions. Although tortoiseshell merchandise is available to be purchased all around the world, it is, in fact, illegal to possess it in many countries.

"The Australian government supported [the Surrender Your Shell campaign] by giving the opportunity for Australians to [be involved] without risk of being prosecuted," Christine says.

The possession of tortoiseshell products has been illegal in Australia since 1977. It's been the same in every other place that's a signatory to the trade treaty known as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which is most countries. But it's not straightforward. Laws differ depending upon where you are, which means that distinguishing between what's legal and illegal can be a minefield for international travellers.