Emys-R
A socio-ecological evaluation of wetlands restoration in favour of the European pond turtle Emys reintroduction and associated biodiversity: a pan-European approach
Emys-R is a 3-year participatory action-oriented research project aiming at defining the most effective, socially supported, ecologial methods to restore wetlands in favour of the European pond turtle reintroduction, and associated biodiversity throughout Europe.
🇺🇦 Emys-R stands with Ukraine! 🇺🇦
5. Oktober 2024 um 08.30: Öffentliches Seminar und partizipativer Workshop in Neuburg am Rhein, DE
Prof. Grazyna Chaberek, Doktorandin Patrycja Romaniuk und ihre Assistentin Ela Elżbieta Głowacka-Adamek organisieren eine partizipative Veranstaltung mit Einwohnern von Neuburg am Rhein. Die Veranstaltung beginnt mit einer Präsentation des Emys-R-Projekts und einer Zusammenfassung der wichtigsten Ergebnisse der von Doktorandin Patrycja in Neuburg am Rhein geführten Interviews. Anschließend werden die Teilnehmer zu Diskussionen und Workshops über den Wert von Natur, Feuchtgebieten, Biodiversität und deren Management eingeladen. Die Veranstaltung findet um 8.30 – 9.00 Uhr im Vereinsheim der Anglerfreunde Neuburg e. V. (Mittelgrundweg) statt. Weitere Informationen bei Ela: (+48)609547202 oder eglowacka@hotmail.com.
Jeder ist willkommen!
2-3 Oct 2024: Emys-R at the 1rst Colloquium of CNRS RT Metabolica, La Rochelle, France
Project leader Jean-Yves Georges talked about « Survival and behavior of captive-bred Emys during first year after release in Alsace, NE France ». More here https://www.rt-metabolica.cnrs.fr/
28 Sept 2024: Pubic seminar and participatory workshop in Lauterbourg, FR
Pr Grazyna Chaberek, PhD candidate Patrycja Romaniuk et their assistant Dominika Stróżyńska organized a participatory event with inhabitants of Lauterbourg. The event was centered around a presentation of the Emys-R project, a summary of the main outcomes of the interviews run by PhD candidate Patrycja, followed by discussions and workshop about the value of nature, wetlands, biodiversity and their management. Event took place at Club House, Lauterbourg.
With some delay… 7 Sept 2024: Dr Olekssi Marushchak interviewed by Laurent Dingli, Editor of the online Biodiversity MAG
The 10th issue of Biodiversity-MAG is a special focus on The impacts of the russian ecocide in Ukraine, with interviews of key actors of nature research and conservation in Ukraine, including our young Ukrainian colleague Dr Oleksii Marushchak, Data Officer of our Emys-R Consortium.
Read Oleksii’s interview here
Oleksii is junior researcher at the Department of Animal Monitoring and Conservation at I.I. Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology, NAS of Ukraine and associated researcher at CNRS-Institut pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (Strasbourg, France); co-founder of NGO ‘Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group‘ UNCG; Head of Research and Development Department of international breeding facilities ‘BION Terrarium Center‘; and Coordinator of the international project ‘Responsible Herpetoculture Foundation‘.
Read the entire issue of BiodiversityMAG-10 here
Oleksii’s interview echoes two contributions of our Consortium that he co-signed: Marushchak et al. (2024) Herpetofauna at the frontline: so many ways to die… in Responsible Herpetoculture Journal; Nekrasova et al. (2024) Assessing ecocide impacts for developing a conservation strategy in Ukraine. World Biodiversity Forum, Davos, Switzerland.
More about publications here
25 Sept 2024: A new TV reportage (45′) around our Emys-R Project on German TV (BR3)!
Emys-R project was highlighted by film maker Suzanne Roser in a 45′ reportage « Sumpfschildkröte oder Kartoffel – Der Kampf um die Feuchtgebiete », with a good example of humans – non-humans relationships with the combined case of water resources and wildlife conservation.
In the present context of climate change, where the surface waters of the Northern Atlantic Ocean are heating up-faster than forecasted-, several-successive-day rain falls may become our regular weather: yet, water excess may not always be good for all (water depletion neither).
In the present context of wildlife conservation, see the EU decision of the very same day about the wolf protection status.
But by now, enjoy your German lesson of the day with some nice images from our French-German cross-bordering study site labeled Long-term Studies in Ecology and Evolution (SEE-Life) program of CNRS at Neu-Woerr, led by Project leader Dr Jean-Yves Georges and Project manager Dr Kathrin Theissinger!
On your TV on 25 Sept at 10pm. Thereafter available here
24 Sept 2024: 140 engineer-students of ENGEES visited the Woerr study site
This year again, the 140 first-year engineer-students of ENGEES visited the Woerr study site where they met scientists Dr Corinne Grac (ENGEES, who organized the visit), PhD candidate Kari-Ann van der Zon (LIVE), Dr Jean-Yves Georges (IPHC) and land managers Charlotte Seibert (Collectivité européenne d’Alsace) and Thierry Holl (Office National des Forêts) who presented and discussed major topics and long term objectives for wetlands restoration, biodiversity conservation, and adaptive management to facilitate native biodiversity such as the Emys, amphibians, insects, plants while mitigating biological invasions such as the calico crayfish and the raccoon.
22 Sept 2024: New publication by Nekrasova et al. in Water!
In their new publication, Oksana Nekrasova et al. implemented worldwide bioclimatic models of the distribution of the oriental river prawn Macrobrachium nipponense, highlighting the risks of introducing such exotic invasive species for aquaculture and concluding with recommendations for controlling such economic activities, which are associated with a high risk for native species and ecosystems.
More publications here
21 Sept 2024: Public participatory event in Silene, Latvia
Pr Grazyna Chaberek, Dr Krzysztof Kasianiuk, PhD candidate Patrycja Romaniuk and their local assistant Diana Tihomirova organized a workshop aimed at integrating social and environmental drivers for successful restoration and reintroductions. Event took take place at Silene Resort & SPA.
Thank you to all participants!
16-20 Sept 2024: Emys-R at the 2024 Symposium of the International Association of Astacology, Zagreb, Croatia
Project leader and Manager Pr Kathrin Theissinger co-signed the pilot study by Bohman et al. Comparison and intercalibration of eDNA protocols for crayfish & crayfish plague detection across Europe, with the aim of standardizing methods and/or analyses in this field of environmental genomics.
16-20 Sept 2024: Emys-R at the 39th DGL Deutsche Gesellschaft für Limnologie, Dresden, Germany
PhD candidate Johannes Meka presented his research on the food web centered around reintroduced Emys.
9-13 Sept 2024: Emys-R at the 15th European Wildlife Disease Conference, Strasslund, Germany
PhD candidate Dr Vet Caro Eichert and (one of) her supervisor Dr Vet Benoît Quintard will present her research on Emys microbiome-health relations.
More here
9-12 Sept 2024: Colloquium of the Long-Term Survey in Ecology and Evolution (SEE-Life) Program of CNRS in Paris, France
Since 2023, the DE-FR cross-bordering study site of Neu-Woerr is one of the 65 labelled SEE-Life of CNRS for 5 years. SEE-Life Neu-Woerr is led by Dr Jean-Yves Georges (IPHC Strasbourg) and Pr Kathrin Theissinger (Justus Liebig University Giessen).
The definitive movie of the Long-term Survey in Ecology and Evolution (SEE-Life) Programme of CNRS – with a significant highlight of our work on Emys and associated biodiversity on Neu-Woerr – is available here (YouTube)
11 Sept 2024: New publication by Nekrasova et al. in Scientific Reports!
In their new publication, Oksana Nekrasova et al. developed bioclimatic models of the distribution of the Emys, which they compared to 7 species of exotic freshwater turtles already established in Europe. They show that by 2050, the areas favourable to the Emys where the risks of competition will be limited are mainly located in Eastern Europe and in particular in Ukraine, which are now becoming the long-term priority conservation areas for the Emys.
Nekrasova et al. (2024) Present and future distribution of the European pond turtle versus seven exotic freshwater turtles, with a focus on Eastern Europe. Scientific Reports 14: 21149. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-71911-4
More publications here
30 Aug-6 Sept 2024: IPHC-NABU joint field session for monitoring Emys and associated biodiversity on Neu-Woerr
Wiebke Pasligh (NABU) joined Dr Jean-Yves Georges (IPHC, SEE-Life Neu-Woerr) for the second last field session of the year on the cross-bordering Neu-Woerr study site. Former field assistant Isabell Kuhn also met for discussing a work in progress on the Emys predatory behaviour on invasive species, including calico crayfish.
Paris 2024: The Will to win, Воля до перемоги !
🇺🇦 Olga Kharlan, Alina Komaschuk, Olena Kravatska, Yuliya Bakastova, Yaroslava Maguchih, Oleksandr Khizhnyak, Serhii Kulish, Ilya Kovtun, Parviz Nasibov, Lyudmila Luzan, Anastasia Rybachok, Iryna Kolyadenko, Iryna Gerashchenko, Mykhailo Kohan, Zhan Beleniuk. TWELVE MEDALS for Ukraine at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024! Ukrainian men and women were able to inspire everyone and show the will to victory! 🇺🇦 (Video materials: Community Sports. Photo: Getty Images)
26-30 Aug 2024: Emys-R at the 14th European Conference on Ecological Restoration in Tartu, Estonia
PhD-candidate Kari-Anne van der Zon and Pr Isabelle Combroux presented WP1 and WP3 results at the SERE conference!
More here
20 Aug 2024: Experimental pond survey on the Woerr
Isabelle Combroux, Corinne Grac and their teams ran their monthly survey of the new adaptive pondscape on Woerr. Water levels turned back to quite normal but the vegetation cover is still very light as a result of long months of high waters since mid May 2024.
7 Aug 2024: The new generation of Emys turtles hatched in SEA LIFE Speyer!
Most reintroductions rely on captive-bred individuals. Breeding facilities, both private and institutional, are major actors of such conservation actions. In the German part of Emys-R, reintroductions in Neuburg am Rhein rely on both kinds of breeders, namely Mathias Maehn and SEA LIFE Speyer (under supervision of Arndt Hadamek). This year 2024 sounds a productive one, with 91 eggs incubated in SEA LIFE Speyer, and the first hatchlings today!
photo by Arndt Hadamek
5 August 2024: Emys-R at the 10th World Congress of Herpetology, Borneo
Dr Oksana Nekrasova (she, again :D) presented the poster Unveiling Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis distribution in Europe: Identifying threats and potential refuges for Amphibians.
More here
30 July 2024: BiodivRestore Knowledge Hub met online
29 July 2024: WP1 and WP3 monitoring adaptive ponds on Woerr
Water levels finally dropped a little bit on the Woerr site in Lauterbourg, permitting Pr Isabelle Combroux and her team to run the monitoring of the adaptative ponds!
24-27 July 2024: Emys-R at the Biology of Lizard 2 conference, Rodeo, NM, USA
3rd conference in North America for Dr Oksana Nekrasova, presenting Past, current and future states of green lizard (Lacerta viridis) populations in Eastern Europe.
This happened in one of the most stunning, full of history, emblematic place in North America: the Chiricahua Desert Museum and Geronimo Event center.
More here
20-27 July 2024: WP2 field session
Still high tides on Neu Woerr prevented the appropriate monitring of Emys turtles this week.
25 July 2024: Dr Oleksii Marushchak video on YouTube
Part of his activities within the Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group, Oleksii Marushchak debunks the most common myths about snakes in this short video (keep focused on the text!).
More about UNCG here
More about Oleksii
13 July 2024: A travelling turtle makes its show across DE-FR borders
An Emys turtle was found near the road on the location shown on the map by a private lady. Thanks to the information she found on the Internet about the reintroduction initiatives in the area, she behaved properly and feed the turtle back.
We thank our friend Ingo Hamman for sharing the content.
10-14 July 2024: Emys-R at the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists in Pittsburg, PA, USA
Dr Oksana Nekrasova presented a talk and a poster on Assessment and Prospects for the Impact of Invasive Fish on Native European Amphibians.
More here
2-4 July 2024: 3rd annual Consortium meeting in Daugavpils, Latvia
For its third annual meeting, the Emys-R Consortium gathered in Daugavpils, Latvia, for summarizing achievements of previous year and plan forthcoming actions and collaborations for the planned end of the project, and beyond.
Emys-R is funded through the 2020-2021 Biodiversa & Water JPI joint call for research proposals, under the BiodivRestore ERA-Net COFUND programme, and with the funding organisations Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR, France), Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF, Germany), State Education Development Agency (VIAA, Latvia), and National Science Center (NSC, Poland).
