The European pond turtle in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
These witnesses of prehistoric times still populate a huge distribution area from the Iberian Peninsula to the Aral Sea and south to North Africa, with currently six recognized subspecies. However, they are threatened with extinction in Germany. The armored protégés have a home very close to Grauenhagen, on the border with Brandenburg. The European pond turtle has been reintroduced there as part of a species conservation project. South of this, in Brandenburg, there are the last relict occurrences on the north-western edge of the species' range. Mathias Kliemt and Markus Tschakert have long been in charge of the Emys orbicularis Mecklenburg-Vorpommern project. In their presentation, the speakers explain the historical reasons for the almost complete extinction of the species in our natural area and the efforts to repopulate the project in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
The project area is fantastically surrounded by gentle hills with moor and lake, sunny slopes and a peaceful silence. There is evidence of initial success in re-establishing the European pond turtle, but there have also been setbacks, as other animal inhabitants have also discovered the landscape for themselves. The efforts and endeavours that have been and are being made are vividly described by the two project managers. There is a lot of research potential in the protected area. One of their hopes is to find caretakers for other species there to document the development of the natural area. They will also provide an overview of the plans to further improve or restore the habitats in the historical range in M-V. Thanks to successful conservation measures, the relict populations in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Brandenburg are stabilizing again.
The armored witnesses of prehistoric times can still only be found in protected areas, but perhaps this will change at some point. But they are already a highlight in our aquarium landscape.
The lecture is free of charge.
