“The more you know the less you need”
Since 2011, The Turtle Conservancy's "The Tortoise" magazine has united photographers, artists, and dedicated friends to creatively champion turtle preservation and environmental concerns. The current issue captures a world where conservation progress and social justice are faltering due to climate urgency and extinction threats. Unforeseen shifts, like book bans and legal reversals, have emerged. The theme "perpetuity" highlights the instability in nature and democracy, disrupted by human greed
The issue explores AI risks, balancing negatives with promises, and delves into technology's role in wildlife trafficking. Climate change impacts, from Australian turtles to the Conservancy's reserves, are discussed. Amid challenges, hope shines: exemplified in an interview with Patagonia's founder, Yvon Chouinard, who committed his company to climate action. Interviews with artist Kenny Scharf and poet Max Blagg, explore humanity's link to nature. "Perpetuity" reminds us of change's constancy, urging united efforts against extinction and climate crisis.
“Destroying rainforest for economic gain is like burning a Renaissance painting to cook a meal.
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The 11th issue of The Tortoise is here! In this year’s magazine we highlight the conservationists, artists, and scientists who have devoted their lives to awareness and conservation for turtles and tortoises. With stories about the illicit trade and the conviction of poachers, historical and current exploitation of chelonians by humans, and artistic interpretations that connect us with the natural world, readers will enjoy the diverse approaches through which today’s conservation challenges are met.
The cover story features an interview with actor and lifelong environmentalist Ted Danson discussing his journey from acting to activism and how the power of celebrity can be leveraged to effect change. We also examine the life and extensive career of Russell A. Mittermeier, who has worked tirelessly to document and conserve the world's most endangered species and their habitats.
We explore the cabinets and wonders documented and interpreted by Mark Dion, an artist who has explored the dusty, dim storage rooms of some of the world’s most esoteric museums. Dion’s work has given the art world a unique perspective drawing from the input of curators, ecologists, engineers, biologists, archaeologists, and historians, among many other fields.
This issue also promotes the work of biologists saving the shrinking habitat of America’s smallest chelonian, the Bog Turtle, as well as African tortoises like the Karoo Dwarf Tortoises, and the diversity of African species that have evolved hinges in their shells to evade predators.
“We can’t save the world by playing by the rules, because the rules have to be changed. Everything needs to change — and it has to start today.”
Ten years ago, when we published the first issue of The Tortoise, the vision was clear—the magazine was not going to be another scientific journal. That’s where storytelling comes in. Just ask conservation icon Jane Goodall, who famously began her career as a field biologist studying Chimpanzees in Tanzania at the age of 26 and has since become one of the natural world’s most influential champions.
Since our first issue, we have tried to do the same—to introduce readers to astonishing turtles and tortoises through compelling stories written by and about the remarkable human beings fighting for the planet’s future. Photographer, philanthropist, and nature-lover Helena Christensen is a perfect example. She has used her voice and platform as one of the world’s reigning supermodels to speak on behalf of refugees who have been displaced by political strife and climate change.
The stories in this issue take us around the globe and look at conservation through diverse lenses. As we emerge from the pandemic year, Andrew J. Wight delves into the effects of COVID-19 on illegal tortoise trafficking in Colombia, and Tetsuji Ida reports on the precarious state of native turtles in Japan. We meet contemporary artist Alexis Rockman, whose radiant paintings illuminate human entanglements with the natural world, and Tomas Diagne, a Senegalese conservationist who forged his career at a time when African herpetologists were rare. Different stories and different perspectives, all designed to celebrate Chelonians and their unique niche in our world.
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”
These are turbulent times, but while these crises are unprecedented for humans, turtles have seen far worse. Political upheaval and deregulation may be new phenomena, but these reptiles survived the late-Cretaceous asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs. They have proven their resilience again and again over millions of years, and this issue of The Tortoise is a celebration of their adaptability as well as the conservationists, artists, and scientists who have devoted their lives to protecting turtles and tortoises. From the forests of northern Florida to the veldt of South Africa, from the rivers of Australia to the beaches of Mexico, this issue highlights some of the world's most dazzling rare species and the unique challenges they face. This issue also pays tribute to some of our heroes, past and present—luminaries including the late Peter Pritchard and Margaretha Hofmeyr, as well as Homero Aridjis—giving us insight into their vital work.
“And the turtles, of course ... all the turtles are free, as turtles and, maybe, all creatures should be.”
The 8th (GIANT) issue of The Tortoise is here! This year’s magazine spotlights the giant tortoises of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, punctuated by a spectacular achievement in turtle conservation in 2019—the rediscovery of a tortoise on Fernandina Island in the Galápagos.
Feature articles include an exploration of the history surrounding the Fernandina Giant Tortoise which was considered lost for over a century, as well as an interview with biologist Forrest Galante who led the expedition to Fernandina Island in search of the tortoise.
Apart from the Galápagos, readers will journey to the other side of the globe to get a rare glimpse of the only wild population of giant Aldabra Tortoises (Aldabrachelys gigantea) in the Eastern Hemisphere.
This colossal issue is packed with 162 full-color pages exploring not only giant tortoises but features from the tremendously-dedicated biologists and artists who are inspired by the world’s turtles and tortoises.
“I learn as much from a turtle as from a religious text.”
The 7th issue of The Tortoise is here! 148 pages of full-color exploration of how turtles and tortoises influence people, politics and the arts. The feature articles span the globe, from Robert Kennedy Jr’s animal filled life to an Amazonian eco-travel expedition in Peru to the turtle collectors of Europe. This issue of The Tortoise Magazine will be sure to captivate conservationists, art enthusiasts, and world travelers alike.
“We are on parallel paths with the planet. The wants and needs of marine wildlife are our own: we want connection, companionship, a healthy clean environment.”
The sixth issue of The Tortoise is here! The 10 feature articles span the globe, from Milla Jovovich's backyard to Doug Aitken’s latest art installation under the Pacific Ocean to multimillionaire turtle collectors in China. This issue of The Tortoise magazine will be sure to captivate conservationists, art enthusiasts, and world travelers alike.
“If we do not do something to help these creatures, we make a mockery of the whole concept of justice.”
The fifth issue of The Tortoise is here with over 160 pages and 200 full-color images, the 12 feature articles in this issue span the globe, from Ted Turner’s “save everything” approach to conservation to rediscovering one of Asia’s rarest turtles in the Rakhine Hills of western Myanmar to recovering extinct tortoises in the Galápagos Islands. In Casting Call of the Wild, Ryan McGinley’s photographs of animals with models bring an element of unpredictability to studio photography.
“It’s a moral question about whether we have the right to exterminate species.”
The fourth issue of The Tortoise is available! Order your copy now before they’re sold out. With over 150 pages and 200 full-color images, the 12 feature articles in this issue span the globe, from herds of Giant Aldabra Tortoises in Mauritius to endemic freshwater sliders in Jamaica to what is arguably the least studied tortoise on earth, the Boulenger’s Tortoise of South Africa. In Trekking the Transfly, you’ll track down turtles in Papua New Guinea with biologist Arthur Georges, who travels through some of the most remote regions along the Fly River, encountering along the way local tribesmen with a rather macabre sense of humor.
“We are not God. The Earth was here before us and was given to us.”
This 184-page issue, with over 150 color photos, covers a variety of stories ranging from editorials chronicling the death of a young conservationist to long-standing conservation programs in the field. The issue is complete with photo essays and interviews with prominent figures in our community, containing a total of 19 pieces that focus on a number of Threatened and Critically Endangered species from around the globe. From the deserts of Nevada where a rogue rancher battles the Federal Government for grazing rights on Desert Tortoise habitat, to the runways of John F. Kennedy Airport where Diamondback Terrapins search for suitable nesting sites — this issue covers the most pressing conservation topics facing tortoises and turtles today.
“The Tortoise Magazine, ostensibly Us Weekly for people who follow reptiles instead of Brad Pitt and ‘The Bachelor,’ was co-edited by Eric Goode.”
This 160-page issue, with over 150 color photos, covers a variety of stories ranging from editorials chronicling the wildlife trade to long-standing conservation programs in the field. The issue is complete with photo essays and interviews on prominent turtle conservationists containing a total of 15 pieces that focus on a number of Threatened and Critically Endangered species from around the globe. From the Mojave Desert where construction of the largest solar plant in the world threatens the Desert Tortoise, to southwestern Australia where the Critically Endangered Western Swamp Turtle struggles to survive amidst human development - this issue covers the most pressing conservation topics facing tortoises and turtles today.
“The Tortoise magazine makes an important and delightful contribution to the conservation of the world’s turtles and tortoises.”
This 160-page issue, with over 150 color photos, covers a variety of stories ranging from editorials chronicling the wildlife trade to long-standing conservation programs in the field. The issue is complete with photo essays and interviews on prominent turtle conservationists containing a total of 15 pieces that focus on a number of Threatened and Critically Endangered species from around the globe. From the Mojave Desert where construction of the largest solar plant in the world threatens the Desert Tortoise, to southwestern Australia where the Critically Endangered Western Swamp Turtle struggles to survive amidst human development - this issue covers the most pressing conservation topics facing tortoises and turtles today.