
About the Turtle Conservation Fund
The Turtle Conservation Fund (TCF) was established in 2002 as a partnership initiative of Conservation International, IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group (TFTSG), and Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA). In 2007 it was joined by the Shellshock Campaign of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, and in 2009 expanded to become a broader-based partnership coalition of several leading turtle conservation organizations and individuals. Global Wildlife Conservation (GWC), Turtle Conservancy (TC), and Chelonian Research Foundation (CRF) currently serve as the financial umbrella organizations for the TCF.
The TCF issued a detailed Summary Activity Report in 2019 summarizing its grant-making activity from 2002 through 2018, during which time over US$ 1 million in grant support was distributed to over 250 projects focused on endangered and threatened turtles and tortoises. This report can be downloaded HERE.
The TCF partnership coalition at this time (March 2020) includes the following organizations:
Global Wildlife Conservation • Turtle Conservancy • Chelonian Research Foundation • IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group • Turtle Survival Alliance • Humane Society International – Australia • The Panaphil and Uphill Foundations • Surprise Spring Foundation
Previous coalition partners have included the following organizations:
Conservation International • Wildlife Conservation Society • Chelonian Research Institute • European Association of Zoos and Aquaria / Shellshock Campaign • Andrew Sabin Family Foundation
The TCF administers a turtle conservation and research grants program focused on endangered tortoises and freshwater turtles. Awards are granted to organizations or individuals for specific conservation or research projects dealing with highly endangered tortoises or freshwater turtles, but not marine turtles, with either partial or full support as funding allows. Please visit the TCF Grants page for details regarding application instructions and a listing of funded projects.
Several TCF Alliance Partners have also contributed to global turtle conservation efforts, either directly through TCF with various levels of support, or through their own independent conservation programs for turtles developed or supported in some measure in partial collaboration or consulation with TCF’s prioritizing and funding mechanisms. The efforts of TCF have benefitted greatly from the collaborative and cooperative approach of these turtle-focused conservation organizations.
The TCF is managed by its Executive Board, which is composed of the following individuals:
Executive Committee of the TCF Board
Hugh R. Quinn, Co-Chair
Retired, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
Former Chair, AZA Chelonian Advisory Group
Anders G.J. Rhodin, Co-Chair
Founder and Director, Chelonian Research Foundation
Executive Vice Chair, IUCN SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group
Chairman of the Board, Turtle Conservancy
Eric V. Goode
President and CEO, Turtle Conservancy
Executive Committee, IUCN SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group
Rick Hudson
President and CEO, Turtle Survival Alliance
Executive Committee, IUCN SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group
Russell A. Mittermeier
Chief Conservation Officer, Global Wildlife Conservation
Past President, Conservation International
Executive Committee, IUCN SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group
Vivian P. Páez
Universidad de Antioquia, Medellin, Colombia
Steering Committee, IUCN SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group
Peter Paul van Dijk
Director, Field Conservation Programs, Turtle Conservancy
Director, Turtle Program, Global Wildlife Conservation
Deputy Chair, IUCN SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group
TCF Review Board Members
Gary Ades
Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, Hong Kong
Chris B. Banks
Melbourne Zoo, Australia
Kurt A. Buhlmann
University of Georgia; Savannah River Ecology Laboratory
Carla C. Eisemberg
Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
Camila Ferrara
Wildlife Conservation Society, Manaus, Brazil
Matt Frankel
Surprise Spring Foundation, Prescott, Arizona
Natalia Gallego-García
University of California, Los Angeles, California;
Wildlife Conservation Society, Cali, Colombia
Paul M. Gibbons
Turtle Conservancy, Ojai, California
Cris Hagen
Turtle Survival Center, Cross, South Carolina
Brian D. Horne
Wildlife Conservation Society, San Diego, California
Executive Committee, IUCN SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group
John B. Iverson
Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana
Gerald Kuchling
Chelonia Enterprises, Australia
Executive Committee, IUCN SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group
Richard E. Lewis
Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Madagascar
Luca Luiselli
Institute for Development, Ecology, Conservation and Cooperation, Rome, Italy
George A. Meyer
Conservationist, Seattle, Washington
Kalyar Platt
Turtle Survival Alliance, Yangon, Myanmar
Martina Raffel
Stiftung Artenschutz, Münster, Germany
Shi Haitao
Hainan Normal University, China
Craig B. Stanford
Chair, IUCN SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
Andrew Walde
Chief Operating Officer, Turtle Survival Alliance
Executive Committee, IUCN SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group
Walde Research & Environmental Consulting, Atascadero, California
Former TCF Board Members († = deceased)
James E. Barzyk
Program Manager, Turtle Survival Alliance
John L. Behler †
Co-Chair, IUCN SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group
Bronx Zoo, Wildlife Conservation Society, New York
Kevin R. Buley
Director, EAZA Shellshock Campaign; Chester Zoo, United Kingdom
Antoine Cadi
Conservationist, France
Bernard Devaux
SOPTOM, Gonfaron, France
Douglas B. Hendrie
Asian Turtle Conservation Network, Vietnam
Susan Lieberman
Conservationist, Washington, DC
Hans-Dieter Philippen †
Turtle Survival Alliance / TSA Europe, Germany
Colin Poole
Director, Asia Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Singapore
Peter C.H. Pritchard †
President, Chelonian Research Institute, Oviedo, Florida
Maurice Rodrigues
Turtle Conservancy; Andrew Sabin Family Foundation
Walter C. Sedgwick
Turtle Survival Alliance; Island Foundation; GG Wade Trust
Henk Zwartepoorte †
Rotterdam Zoo, Netherlands; Turtle Survival Alliance / TSA Europe