Gopher Tortoise

The gopher tortoise is the only North American tortoise species found east of the Mississippi River. Its range includes parts of the Coastal Plain from Louisiana to South Carolina, with the population concentrated in southern Georgia and north-central Florida. This range coincides with the historical distribution of longleaf pine forests, and gopher tortoises depend on fire-maintained pine ecosystems for habitat and food.

Gopher tortoises are long-lived and can reach 100 years old. Females mature slowly, first reproducing between the ages of 9 and 21. Gopher tortoises nest only once a year, and their eggs and hatchlings are at very high risk of predation and death. Up to 92 percent of gopher tortoises do not survive their first few years of life. Gopher tortoises fortunate enough to reach adulthood have hard shells and few natural predators.

Gopher tortoises are on the threatened or endangered species list of every state in which they live. In the western part of their range, they are federally listed as threatened. Their populations have declined by 80 percent over the last century. Habitat loss, invasive species, fire suppression, road mortality, and conversion of longleaf forests to commercial plantations of other pine species have contributed to the decline of the gopher tortoise and continue to threaten its persistence.

Gopher tortoises are a keystone species in the southern pine forest ecosystem, meaning that they have an ecological importance that goes far beyond their actual numbers. This is because gopher tortoises dig burrows in the sandy soil that provide habitat for a very wide range of species. Burrows are often 10 feet deep and 25-35 feet long, although they can be much more extensive. They shelter the tortoises from temperature extremes, droughts, fire, and predators, and gopher tortoises spend most of their time in or very close to their burrows.

More than 350 other species also use gopher tortoise burrows for similar purposes. These species include gopher frogs and the threatened Eastern indigo snake, as well as small invertebrates like the dung beetle, which plays an important role in the ecosystem by converting dung into soil nutrients. Protecting the gopher tortoise population therefore helps protect the hundreds of species that depend on the burrows these tortoises create.

Because most gopher tortoise habitat is located on privately held land, measures that encourage landowners to help tortoises are a very important component of a comprehensive species conservation strategy. In the eastern portion of the gopher tortoise range where the species is not federally listed, a Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA) is an important tool. This voluntary agreement helps landowners address at-risk species by outlining specific management activities the landowner will implement to benefit the gopher tortoise. In return, the agreement assures the landowner that if the gopher tortoise should be listed under the federal Endangered Species Act in the future, the landowner will not be subject to any requirements beyond the terms of the CCAA. When the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considers a CCAA with a landowner, it takes into account the potential effect of all local landowners obtaining a similar agreement. In this way, landowners gain an opportunity to demonstrate that their private efforts can help conserve the species and avoid the need to list it under the Endangered Species Act. State and federal cost-share programs are often available to help landowners use beneficial management practices in their forests.

Conservation banking is another valuable tool to preserve habitat. The first gopher tortoise conservation bank was established in 2001 in Mobile, Alabama, a region undergoing rapid population growth and a corresponding increase in residential construction. The Mobile Area Water and Sewer System set aside 222 acres of contiguous longleaf pine forest as prime habitat for 125 gopher tortoises. Property developers relocated tortoises found during surveying and construction to the 222 acres and paid into the bank with a one-time fee of $3,500 per tortoise. The fee covers management and conservation costs for the relocated tortoises, and it is much cheaper than the cost of setting aside land slated for development. In return, property owners were released from further obligation under the federal Endangered Species Act, which lists gopher tortoise populations around Mobile as threatened. The tortoises gained optimal quality contiguous habitat that will be managed in perpetuity to promote their conservation.

Visit the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service for more information on gopher tortoise conservation banking in Mobile.