Saving the Desert Tortoise

[Catherine]

The Desert Tortoise in the south west USA has dropped in numbers. As a species it is seriously endangered.
The Desert Tortoise is a keystone species so the entire desert ecosystem is dependent on them.
There is now a Tortoise Research and Captive Breeding Site at the 29 Palms marine base.
Tortoise eggs are hatched and the baby tortoises are raised until they are big enough to survive. The process is 
known as head starting. They are released when their shells are hard enough that they are safe from Ravens.


https://www.latimes.com/environment/stor...oise-gitmo

There are a lot of issues and not everyone is in favor of head starting, but it is a way of increasing the number of tortoises in an area. 
The Toronto Zoo does that with the Blanding Turtles that they hatch and release in the Toronto area. It is working and I did see one of the turtles in a pond in the release area.

The Desert Tortoises are being monitored and there is progress. Like many conservation programs it needs time for it to make a difference. 
Once the Tortoise numbers increase enough the desert ecosystem will stabilize and return to health. It will be like the wolves in Yellowstone Park. Once they were established, the park ecosystem improved and stabilized.

It seems that identifying the keystone species and restoring it is the key to restoring ecosystems.