Threats to the Ornate Box Turtle
The ornate box turtle's dry sand prairie habitat is threatened as the invasive plants Spotted Knapweed and Black Locust enter it. The Spotted Knapweed produces biochemical toxins that hinder competition among native species. In order to find a habitat sustainable for themselves, ornate box turtles avoid where these plants are located in order to survive and build nests. As Wisconsin continues to build roads and urban landscapes and increase agricultural development, the ornate box turtle’s natural habitat is being split apart. Because of this, their species is being overharvested/harvested to a harmful extent.
Overharvesting
The Illegal Pet Trade: The illegal pet trade is one of the largest illegal trades in the world and is where species are viewed as a commodity. It is now illegal to keep an ornate box turtle unless you have a permit, but conservationists have found it hard to enforce this law due to the massive size of the illegal pet trade. According to director of conservation and education Dennis Dinwiddie at the Topeka zoo in the state of Kansas, the species population of ornate box turtles has been reducing at an alarming rate (Tidd 2022). The unique and colorful markings that characterize an ornate box turtle provide a reason for poachers to capture and sell these animals into the illegal trade. Dinwiddie believes that overharvesting is the primary reason this species's population is significantly reducing.
Habitat Fragmentation: Habitat fragmentation from urbanization and sprawl increases the ornate box turtle movement because of changing temperatures. Due to the new environment, moisture and microclimates force the ornate box turtles to move increasingly longer distances to new areas to survive. This brings them into contact with roads and humans since they don’t have the climate, resources, and vegetation diversity that they need. According to a thesis by Mark J. Dillard concerning the spatial ecology of box turtles, not being able to quickly recover from these problems poses an increasing risk to the ornate box turtle population since they experience delayed sexual maturity and low juvenile survival (Dillard 2016).