Freshwater turtles face 'bleak future'!. 

The group says more than a third of the estimated 280 species around the world are now threatened with extinction.

The unsustainable collection of turtles for food and to supply a lucrative pet trade are the key drivers behind the fall in numbers.

Dr Peter Paul van Dijk, the director of Conservation International's Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Conservation Program, said the outlook was bleak.

The turtles are highly prized across Asia, particularly in China, where their consumption is perceived to have medicinal benefits.

Some of their river habitats are being degraded.

Egg collection, hunting and habitat loss as a result of dams and gold mining are blamed. A captive population is being built up for re-introduction program.