IUCN_TFTSG_SOW_6_8_23.pdf

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

FWS International Affairs

5275 Leesburg Pike

Falls Church VA 22041-3803

Scope of Work For Red List of Threatened Species Assessment IAW IUCN of

Select Freshwater Turtles of the Americans.

1. INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW

International Affairs is one of seven major program areas within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

(Service), a bureau of the Department of the Interior. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is the only agency in the federal government whose primary responsibility is the management of fish, wildlife and plants, and their habitats for the American public. The Division of Scientific Authority (DSA) is one of three

Divisions housed within the International Affairs program. It serves as the United States’ Scientific

Authority for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

(CITES). The Scientific Authority evaluates and prepares proposals for species that may need to be added to or removed from the CITES list, provides scientific advice on the issuance of permits for international trade; monitors native species exports from the United States; implements the Wild Bird Conservation

Act (WBCA); and is the lead for the Service on other scientific policy matters, particularly as they relate to international wildlife trade. In order to provides scientific advice on the issuance of permits for international trade DSA will need to make required non-detriment findings (NDFs) for the issuance of

CITES export permits , which will require current biological and trade data for these new species.

2. BACKGROUND

Every two to three years, the member countries to Convention on International Trade in Endangered

Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) hold a meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP) to review, discuss, and negotiate changes in the management and levels of trade in the various animal and plant species covered by the agreement. At the recent 19th meeting of the Conference of the Parties

(CoP19), held in Panama City, Panama, in November 2022, CITES Parties decided to increase protections for many North, Central, and South American turtle species

(https://cites.org/eng/cop/19/amendment-proposals). These included, matamata turtles, many species of

North American turtles, Asian and Neotropical Geoemy did turtles. These new inclusions to the CITES

Appendices went into effect on February 23, 2023. The Division of Scientific Authority (DSA) at

USFWS will need to make required non-detriment findings (NDFs) for the issuance of CITES export permits , which will require current biological and trade data for these new species. This work is directly mission operational for DSA. The best sources for this type of information comes from the International

Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red list of Threatened Species Assessments. The problem is that they need to be updated periodically to be current and these turtle assessments accounts are currently outdated. These assessments for U.S. native turtle species were last done over 10+ years ago.

Within IUCN the expertise to do turtle assessments is with the Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist

Group (TFTSG).

3. WORK TO BE PERFORMED BY CONTRACTOR

3.1 Work Responsibilities:

Develop 81 standard IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List

Assessment Accounts. Services include consultations with appropriate experts (virtual & workshops) as well as a review of the current scientific literature for these species. This contract will be done in two parts. Year 1 (to be completed by Dec 31, 2023): The development of 53 high priority updated IUCN Red List Assessment Accounts for select species of freshwater turtles from the Americas (See full list of turtle species below). Year 2 (Option year - to be completed by Dec 31, 2024): The development of 28 medium priority updated IUCN Red List

Assessment Accounts for select species of freshwater turtles from the Americas (See full list of turtle species below).

The contractor shall accomplish the assessment accounts with the following standard categories of information.

Species name

Taxonomic authority: [Author, year]

Synonyms:

[those in widespread usage in recent decades; long-disused synonyms can be left to TTWG and

Fritz & Havas checklists]

Common Names:

[English and local language preferred, optional]

Notes on Taxonomy:

[any taxonomic notes of relevance - optional]

Country Distribution

[record countries under each heading as appropriate. In case of large countries, also note major divisions, e.g. States in the USA, Provinces in China, or islands in Indonesia or Japan]

Native – presence confirmed:

Native – presence possible:

Extinct:

Reintroduced:

Introduced:

Vagrant:

General Information

Geographic Range of Species:

[Describe the range in terms of countries of occurrence, subcountry units (e.g., states, provinces, etc.). For an inland water taxon, record the name/s of lakes, river systems, etc. in which it occurs.

Include mention of important sites, and if known specify the extent of occurrence and area of occupancy. A distribution map showing the extent of occurrence MUST be attached]

Habitat and Ecology Information:

[Habitat, altitude, diet, size, maturity, longevity, fecundity]

Species Population Information:

[for example, population size, abundance (rare, scarce, common, etc.), number and size of subpopulations if known, number of locations and degree of fragmentation. Include local/national/regional population evaluations if those are available.]

Utilization

[Is the taxon utilized in any way, e.g., medicinal uses, food, building material, etc.? Which parts are utilized? Is there a local, national or international trade in the taxon?]

Threats:

[Describe the main threats to the species, and if known, the severity and extent; consider the impact of Utilisation; Habitat effects; Introduced/invasive species, subsidized predators, diseases/pathogens; Other: ]

Conservation Measures

[Describe major measures taken and/or in place, and needed measures: Legislation, Protected

Areas, captive/conservation breeding, essential research, etc.]:

Red Listing

The Categories and Criteria and Guidelines for Red List Assessments (RLAs) are downloadable from the IUCN website: http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/categories-and-criteria

The Categories & Criteria are available in English, French and Spanish, the Guidelines only in

English.

Red List Assessment:

Red List Criteria:

Rationale for the Red List Assessment

[record the reasons why the taxon is assessed as above, including any population or range information used, inferences, assumptions, etc. For NT specify what criteria were nearly met and for DD specify what little information is known. Use this section to summarize information from the previous sections that is pertinent to the Red List assessment]:

Current Population Trend:

Choose one: Stable, Increasing, Decreasing, or Unknown.

Assessor(s):

Date of Assessment:

Notes on Red Listing:

References:

3.2 Species Covered:

Required for the following species of turtles (YEAR 1: DEC 31, 2023)

Chelus fimbriata (Matamata turtle)

Chelus orinocensis (Orinoco matamata turtle)

Macrochelys temminckii (Alligator snapping turtle)

Chelydra serpentina (Common snapping turtle)

Graptemys barbourin (Barbour’s map turtle), Graptemys ernsti (Escambia map turtle)

Graptemys gibbonsi (Pascagoula map turtle)

Graptemys pearlensis (Pearl River map turtle)

Graptemys pulchra (Alabama map turtle)

Rhinoclemmys annulata (Brown wood turtle)

Rhinoclemmys areolata (Furrowed wood turtle)

Rhinoclemmys diademata (Maracaibo wood turtle)

Rhinoclemmys funerea (Black river wood turtle)

Rhinoclemmys melanosterna (Colombian wood turtle)

Rhinoclemmys nasuta (Large-nosed wood turtle)

Rhinoclemmys pulcherrima (Painted wood turtle

Rhinoclemmys punctularia (Spot-legged wood turtle)

Rhinoclemmys rubida (Mexican spotted wood turtle)

Claudius angustatus (Narrow-bridged musk turtle)

Kinosternon abaxillare (Central Chiapas mud turtle)

Kinosternon acutum (Tabasco mud turtle)

Kinosternon alamosae (Alamos mud turtle)

Kinosternon angustipons (Central American mud turtle)

Kinosternon baurii (Striped mud turtle)

Kinosternon chimalhuaca (Jalisco mud turtle)

Kinosternon creaseri (Creaser´s mud turtle)

Kinosternon dunni (Dunn´s mud turtle)

Kinosternon durangoense (Durango mud turtle)

Kinosternon flavescens (Yellow mud turtle)

Kinosternon herrerai (Herrera´s mud turtle)

Kinosternon hirtipes (Rough-Footed mud turtle)

Kinosternon integrum (Mexican mud turtle)

Kinosternon leucostomum (White-lipped mud turtle)

Kinosternon oaxacae (Oaxaca mud turtle)

Kinosternon scorpioides (Scorpion mud turtle)

Kinosternon sonoriense (Sonora Mud turtle)

Kinosternon steindachneri (Florida mud turtle)

Kinosternon stejnegeri (Arizona mud turtle)

Kinosternon subrubrum (Eastern mud turtle

Kinosternon cora (Cora Mud Turtle)

Kinosternon vogti (Vallarta Mud Turtle)

Staurotypus salvinia (Giant musk turtle)

Staurotypus triporcatus (Mexican musk turtle)

Sternotherus carinatus (Razor-backed musk turtle)

Sternotherus depressus (Flattened Musk turtle)

Sternotherus minor (Loggerhead musk turtle)

Sternotherus odoratus (Stinkpot musk turtle)

Sternotherus peltifer (Loggerhead musk turtle)

Sternotherus intermedius (Intermediate musk turtle)

Apalone ferox (Florida softshell turtle)

Apalone mutica (Smooth softshell turtle)

Apalone spinifera (Spiny softshell turtle) (excludes Apalone spinifera atra which remains in

Appendix I)

In addition to the recent CITES inclusions also:

Chelydra rossignonii (Central American snapping turtle)

Chelydra acutirostris (South American snapping turtle)

Including 3 Experts Workshops to gather information (South America, Mexico, USA)

Required for the following species of turtles (YEAR 2 (Option year): DEC 31, 2024)

Actinemys marmorata

Actinemys pallida

Chrysemys dorsalis

Chrysemys picta

Deirochelys reticularia

Graptemys caglei

Graptemys flavimaculata

Graptemys geographica

Graptemys nigrinoda

Graptemys oculifera

Graptemys ouachitensis

Graptemys pseudogeographica

Graptemys sabinensis

Graptemys versa

Pseudemys alabamensis

Pseudemys concinna

Pseudemys floridana

Pseudemys gorzugi

Pseudemys nelsoni

Pseudemys peninsularis

Pseudemys rubriventris

Pseudemys texana

Trachemys decorata

Trachemys decussata

Trachemys gaigeae

Trachemys scripta

Trachemys stejnegeri

Trachemys terrapen

Including 2 Experts Workshops to gather information (USA, Caribbean)

4. GOVERNMENT-FURNISHED MATERIALS/SERVICES

The work is carried out by the contractor at his/her facilities or at international workshops deemed appropriate. The Contractor shall provide, own computer, software, office supplies to undertake this project.

5. SUMMARY OF MILESTONE DUE DATES

Year 1 (to be completed by Dec 31, 2023): The development of 53 high priority updated IUCN Red List

Assessment Accounts for select species of freshwater turtles from the Americas (See full list of turtle species section 3.2).

Year 2 (Option year - to be completed by Dec 31, 2024): The development of 28 medium priority updated IUCN Red List Assessment Accounts for select species of freshwater turtles from the Americas

(See full list of turtle species Section 3.2).

6. DELIVERABLES

Develop drafts (ready for publication in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species) of 81 standard IUCN

Red List Assessment Accounts for select species of freshwater turtles from the Americas.

7. PROJECT COMPLETION/DELIVERY SCHEDULE

The deliverables for this contract will be done on an ongoing basis with all deliverables completed by the end of the contract. USFWS reserves full ownership rights to the deliverables.

8. TRAVEL EXPENSES

The contractor shall travel as required to support program tasks. All travel arrangements are to be made by the Contractor. Payment for transportation, per diem, mileage, parking, and other fair and reasonable travel expenses will be paid in accordance with the effective Federal Travel

Regulations as amended and supplemented by the Department of the Interior travel regulations where applicable. No Federal travel authorizations are to be issued. All travel expenses are to be submitted through the Contractor's invoice for reimbursement. The Government recognizes that the Contractor does not have access to the Government rates for airfares. The Contractor shall make every effort to keep travel costs to a minimum. No reimbursement will be made for parking at a Contractor's normal place of work. The contractor must comply with regulations under the Fly America Act. Travel arrangements must be approved in advance by the Technical

Liaison.

9. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The contractor will work from May 1, 2023, through December 31, 2023 with a second option year

(2024) based on the two levels of deliverables.

10. LOCATION OF WORK

Work will be conducted in the United States for the most part with travel to Mexico, South America, and the Caribbean to undertake select experts workshops.

11. TECHNICAL LIAISONS

mailto:Rosemarie_Gnam@fws.gov