German conservation biologist Sabine Schoppe, whose work in Palawan has helped protect one of the Philippines’ most endangered freshwater turtles, has been honored with the 21st annual Behler Turtle Conservation Award, widely regarded as the “Nobel Prize” of turtle conservation.
The award recognizes Schoppe’s more than three decades of conservation work in the Philippines, including her efforts to protect the Palawan Forest Turtle (Siebenrockiella leytensis), an endemic species facing severe threats from habitat loss and illegal wildlife trade.
According to the Behler Turtle Conservation Award Committee, Schoppe moved to the Philippines in 1995 after earning a Ph.D. in Germany. Her early work involved ornithological surveys and community-based coastal resource management, experiences that helped shape her approach to biodiversity conservation.
The committee described Schoppe as a conservationist who has combined scientific research with practical action.
“Today, Sabine is recognized as one of the Philippines’ foremost conservationists,” the committee said.
Schoppe was a co-founder of Katala Foundation Inc. and its Philippine Cockatoo Conservation Program. She later established the Philippine/Palawan Freshwater Turtle Conservation Program, focusing on the Palawan Forest Turtle.
Under her leadership, the program established the first protected area for the species and achieved its first successful conservation breeding, the committee said.
Partnerships with Turtle Conservancy and Rainforest Trust also helped secure critical habitats for important wild populations of the Palawan Forest Turtle.
One of the defining moments of Schoppe’s conservation career came in 2015, when about 4,000 Palawan Forest Turtles were confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade.
Schoppe led the response to the large-scale wildlife rescue operation, working with veterinarians and conservation specialists from around the world, including the Turtle Survival Alliance and Turtle Conservancy.
She helped rehabilitate and return thousands of turtles to the wild while initiating a large-scale post-release monitoring program.
The work earned Schoppe the 2015 Andrew Sabin Award for Excellence in Chelonian Conservation.
The Behler committee said her career illustrates how different approaches to conservation can be brought together to protect threatened species.
“Her work demonstrates how scientific research, species conservation, wildlife law enforcement, and community stewardship can be successfully combined to protect some of the world’s most threatened species and ecosystems,” the committee said.
The award also highlights the importance of conservation work that extends beyond research and into habitat protection, wildlife rescue, law enforcement and partnerships with local communities and international organizations.
Schoppe was unable to attend the award ceremony because of a serious illness that prevents her from traveling. Her longtime conservation associate in Palawan, Diverlie Dela Cruz Acosta, accepted the award on her behalf.
“We missed her presence at the Symposium, but honored and celebrated her outstanding contributions and were with her in spirit,” the committee said.
The Behler Turtle Conservation Award was established in 2006 in memory of John L. Behler, a former curator of herpetology at the Bronx Zoo and a prominent figure in reptile conservation.
The award is presented by the Turtle Survival Alliance, the IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group, Turtle Conservancy and Turtle Conservation Fund. It recognizes leadership and excellence in tortoise and freshwater turtle conservation and biology.
