Active protection of European Pond Turtle in Poland  (and what about here?)

Roman Kössl, Ivan Kubát

        The area of European Pond Turtle (Emys orbicularis L.1758) comprises in South Europe from Spain and Portugal, over to south and central France, Italy, states of former Yugoslavia up to Greece including the Mediterranean islands, further on to middle and east Europe up to central Germany  to Latvia, Lithuania through to Ukraine up the river Ural and as far as east bank of Caspian sea.  In the east it reaches up to Asia through Turkey, Iraq and Iran and as far as Pakistan and in the northwest Africa it is found from Morocco to Algiers and Tunis.  In the past the extent of the area was even bigger – remains of occurrence from the postglacial period can be found in Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, England and Estonia (ETI, 2000). The most northern occurrence reaches up to 55º-north width of south part of Lithuania.  Even though the present extensive area of the European Pond Turtle, can be found mainly in the area of central Europe only in islets and the number of individual sites is constantly decreasing.   That is even in spite of protection by individual European countries in the form of legislation and also the European Union has included it on a list of species, which require strict protection.   Therefore member states have to accept “necessary measures to set up systems of strict protection for the species mentioned in attachment IV a) in their own natural expansion environment”.  (Instructions on stations are 92/43/EHS). Unless these instructions are realised, all legislative protection will fail, as is the case here.

         In September 2004 we had, thanks to the invitation from Mr. Hryniewicz from Warsaw zoological garden, the possibility to visit certain areas in Poland where the European Pond Turtle can be found, and where protection of this kind has been in operation for several years prior to joining the European Union. On the territory of Poland several northern extensive areas of occurrence can be found.  From the information, since 1991 up to now, there are 9 places in Poland where the European Pond Turtle lays eggs and where the young are hatched, and there are more than 300 places where the European Pond Turtle have been seen, but nesting has not been confirmed.

         Originally the programme for protection of  the European Pond Turtle covered the whole of Poland, but this slowly disintegrated, because the members did not communicate together on the necessary level.  In the past few years the existence of several programmes and exchange of experiences proved better.
         In present time there is an active programme of the national park of Poland.  This programme is managed by the management of the national park and rests mainly in the incubation of eggs removed from the nests in the wild and the return of hatched young turtles to the wild.   Annually approximately 600 to 800 young turtles are hatched and in 2004 seventy nests were found.

         Similar project has been in operation for fifteen years in the Mazowiecky county. In this case the regional nature conservationist manages the project and at present it is operated with the help of Panda Fond, which works alongside the Warsaw Zoo.  Within the framework of the programme five locations of occurrence are monitored in the Mazowiecky county and from 2005 other five locations have been selected where the European Pond Turtle could be found.
         Everything depends on whether the turtles  will be actually found there.  The monitoring on all locations monitors the population of the turtle and is carefully noted down.  All information obtained from the measuring of individually caught turtle are noted and drawn down on index cards.  If possible the turtle is photographed and also its approximate age is noted down.  Individual nesting sites are monitored.  These are, where possible purchased and fenced off with simple wooden fence, which doesn’t hinder the access of the turtle but protects it mainly from access by vehicles and grazing animals.  During the laying of eggs, the females are monitored and each nesting site is marked.   Up to now the eggs have been removed from the nesting sites during August and incubation was completed in the Warsaw zoological garden.  (Leaving the eggs during the first month of incubation in its natural nesting environment is important in this case so that the natural ratio of sexes of the young turtles can be retained.  This is given by the temperature of the nest.  The removal takes place at a time when the sexes of individual embryos have been designated.)  The release of the young turtles back into the nature was carried out in May the following year, when the temperature was high enough; they were released into water near the place where the female came from. At present time the population of the turtle is strong enough to leave the eggs in their nests, and they are checked only in the spring the following year, to see what has happened to them during incubation (whether they were fertile, if the young hatched or if the young survived the winter hibernation in the nest etc.,).
           The basic field work is carried out by ten field workers from the lines of local volunteers, which are remunerated by 3000.- Zl annually.  The county on the basis of approved budget pays all the costs connected with realisation of the programme.  Part of the project also includes an extensive information campaign, amongst the local residents and annually at the end of the year information bulletin is published for the nature conservationist with a proposal for next years budget.
          At present time, there is a big problem on the monitored sites in the Mazowiecky County, apart from the predators that eliminate the eggs from nests, with the ingrowths on the nesting sites with self-seeding trees as well as an effort to artificial forestation of sandy areas, mainly with pine trees.  The turtles are able to travel to their nesting sites even hundred meters from the water and at the time cross over terrain waves even thick overgrown areas, but for laying eggs and incubation of eggs the turtle needs sunny areas without high vegetation.

There are certain doubts about the occurrence of living turtle in the Czech Republic.  This problem at the moment is the concern of Mr. Siroky, (1997, 2000), from his work can be seen the most official source of information, an Atlas of expanding reptiles in the Czech Republic, which was published by an Agency for protection of nature and countryside in Czech Republic in (2001).  With majority of the noted findings, which dealt only with isolated specimens, it was clear, that they were quite often introduced animals  or were escaped turtles from breeding.  From the latest period there is no mention of any locality, which would have suitable conditions for laying eggs, let alone would prove that there was hatching and occurrence of young turtles.   The turtle still continues to belong into our herpetological fauna and on the basis of legislation it is listed amongst the critically endangered species.
            Even though it is not possible to say that it’s protection is in the active mode, it is more of a formality, which will lead to gradual extinction of the species from our countryside.  This is only matter of time for the individuals, which have been released, or have escaped or maybe even some of the remaining original examples.  The above-mentioned publication even suggests the possibilities of how to approach such a problem.  It is not possible to reproach this (monitoring of suitable locations, their thorough protection, re-introduction programme), even though it places itself towards the matter in a  rather sceptical way (unsuitability of climatic conditions of our country, uncertainty in obtaining genetically suitable individuals, uncertainty from negative results of similar projects, the necessity of costly ecological study, extensive revitalisation of biotopes).   But are these reasons why rather not do anything?  On the contrary.  Example can be the successful programme from Poland (even-though they had more luck and the situation did not go so far as here) as not so long ago existed remaining turtles, from viable population in more northerly-situated Lithuania.  The nearest and most suitable occurrence in view of the position of our potential autochthony of South-Moravia and North-Moravia locations lies immediately in the neighbouring Austria, the region of Danube floodplain forests and eastwards from Vienna and also near Polish Radom.
            We have the biggest problem in finding suitable location for re-introduction of the European Pond Turtle, including securing permanent monitoring of its site.   We do not see a great problem in obtaining genetically suitable individuals and in securing breeding programme in captivity.  In this case we are sure that we would find sufficient number of private breeders as well as professional workplaces (zoological gardens, etc.) which would be only too happy to deal with this problem knowledgeably.

 

Literature:

 Ernst, C.,H., Altenburg, R.,G.,M., Barbour,R.,W., 2000: Turtles of the World. - World Biodivesity Database, CD-ROM Series, ETI. Amsterdam.

 Mikátová, B., Vlašín, M., Zavadil, V. (eds.), 2001: Atlas of expanding reptiles in the Czech Republic. - AOPK ČR, Brno-Praha.

 Nečas, P., Modrý, D., Zavadil, V., 1997: Czech Recent and Fossil Amphibians and Reptiles. An Atlas and Field Guide. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main.

 Široký, P., 1997: European Pond Turtle (Emys orbicularis) – species history and intro-species variability. -  Newsletter for the Club members of turtle breeder, Hradec Králové, 24.

 Široký, P., 2000: A review of the distribution of the European pond turtle, Emys orbicularis (Linnaeus, 1758), in the Czech Republic until 1999 (Reptilia: Testudines: Emydidae). - Faun.Abh.Mus.Tierkd. Dresden, 22 (6).

 Vaičiunaite, R., 1991: Protection of  the European Pond Turtle in Lithuania. - Nika, Praha, 1.