Do field managements positively affect Testudo hermanni hermanni in southern France? A field experience to test the impact of habitat opening and water ponds (original) (raw)

Abstract

The study is performed in two independent sites: "Callas" (habitat opening), and "Redon" (water ponds). An experimental design has been set up (using replicates and control sites). More than 40 tortoises have been radio-tracked each year in 2010 and 2011 before and after management experiment. The expected outcome of successful field managements could be: a reduction of home range indicating a greater quality of the habitat, especially for females; easier thermoregulation profiles especially during constraining weather (cool, cloudy or hot), lower baseline stress levels... -Populations of Hermann's tortoise (Testudo hermanni hermanni), a rare and endangered species of Western Europe, are declining over the entire distribution range, especially in southern France. -The modification of the habitat and its destruction are the main factor of the decline. -The maintenance of the species depends on the persistence of a mosaic of micro-habitats for thermoregulation ...

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