Large tortoiseshell

Abstract: Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, is a place with large tortoiseshell handicraft stores on the streets, after Nicaragua, the place with the largest offer of products. Also, it is the first of nine countries evaluated in the region with the highest economic income for its commercialization. For 5 years (between 2008 and 2012), we recorded and characterized tortoiseshell traffic in the city, and this helped us to understand in detail the local problem. In 2013, we started looking for national and international stakeholders to stop the illegal trafficking of tortoiseshell handicrafts. Twelve years later, from inter-institutional, collaborative, and continuous work, we have managed to reduce the commercialization of the tortoiseshell handicrafts by 90%–95% compared to the characterization data in the first phase of the project. In this chapter we will showcase this successful project and how it can serve as a model for others in the countries and regions where the illegal trafficking exists.