The chelonian fauna of West Africa is relatively understudied and experiencing a multitude of threats. Moreover, the IUCN Red List status of several African species is both outdated and, we believe, underestimated. Herein, we cover projections for freshwater turtle and tortoise status trends in West Africa over the next decade. This geographic prioritization was chosen based on our current understanding of the greatest urgency for turtle conservation in Africa. Broadly, we recommend that priority projects focus on the following threats: bushmeat consumption (Trionychidae and Kinixys spp.); habitat degradation and potential shifts in habitat use (primarily Kinixys spp. in the rainforest belt of West Africa); effects of livestock overgrazing and climate change (specifically in regards to desertification impacting the Sahel region) on behaviors and species sex ratios (Centrochelys sulcata, Kinixys belliana and K. nogueyi). Possible efforts to mitigate these threats include; (1) enhanced capacity building, outreach, and training to promote turtle conservation to wildlife professionals, fisheries stakeholders, local communities, etc; (2) alternative livelihoods and sources of protein (provide locals with goats, sustainable farming options, aquaculture practices); (3) community engagement and citizen science; (4) connecting fragmented habitats (e.g. corridors); (5) enhancing community protected areas with local enforcement (local employment and benefits, eco-tourism potential); (6) youth and consumer/collector targeted education programs; and (7) reinforcement of international policy (CITES) for species negatively affected by the pet trade (K. homeana and K. erosa). Based on witnessed range-wide declines and exploitation, on a species level we suggest priority attention be aimed at A) Cyclanorbis elegans (assessment of population strongholds, if any, threats, and mitigation options) and B) Kinixys homeana and K. erosa (use in the illegal bushmeat trade, long-term population trends). Field studies on several under-studied Pelusios species (e.g., P. cupulatta, P. adansonii) are also warranted, along with increased sampling of the severely declined and elusive Trionyx triunguis in West Africa. Finally, we believe turtle and tortoise conservation in Africa would greatly benefit from collaboration and integration of research efforts with programs and scientists in Eastern and Southern Africa, for instance via a novel IUCN/SSC TFTSG continental symposium focused on red list status assessments/reassessments.

西非的科隆动物区系相对未被充分研究，并面临着多种威胁。此外，一些非洲物种的自然保护联盟红色名录的状况既过时，我们认为也被低估了。在此，我们涵盖了对未来十年西非淡水龟和乌龟状况趋势的预测。根据我们目前对非洲保护乌龟的迫切性的当前理解，选择了地理上的优先级。从广义上讲，我们建议优先项目关注以下威胁：食用森林猎物（Tri甲和基尼希斯菌属）；生境退化和生境利用的潜在变化（主要是Kinixysspp。在西非的雨林带）；过度放牧和气候变化（特别是影响萨赫勒地区的荒漠化）对行为和物种性别比（Centrochelys sulcata，Kinixys belliana和K. nogueyi）的影响）。减轻这些威胁的可能努力包括：（1）加强能力建设，宣传和培训，以促进野生动植物专业人士，渔业利益相关者，当地社区等养龟；（2）替代生计和蛋白质来源（为当地人提供山羊，可持续的农业选择，水产养殖方法）；（3）社区参与和公民科学；（4）连接零散的栖息地（例如走廊）；（5）通过地方执法（当地就业和福利，生态旅游潜力）加强社区保护区；（6）青年和针对消费者/收藏家的教育计划；（7）加强对受宠物贸易（K. homeana和K. erosa）负面影响的物种的国际政策（CITES））。基于目睹的范围广泛的减少和剥削，在物种层面上，我们建议优先关注A）Cyclanorbis elegans（评估种群据点，威胁和缓解措施）和B）Kinixys homeana和K. erosa（用于非法食用森林猎物贸易，长期人口趋势）。几下，研究领域的研究非洲侧颈龟属物种（例如，P. cupulatta，P. adansonii）也保证，增加严重下降，难以捉摸的沿着采样中华triunguis在西非。最后，我们认为，通过与东部和南部非洲的计划和科学家进行的研究工作的协作和整合，非洲的乌龟和陆龟保护将大为受益，例如，通过一个新的IUCN / SSC TFTSG大陆专题讨论会，其重点是红名单状态评估/重新评估。