Abstract
The European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis) is the only native freshwater turtle species in Slovakia. Due to watercourse regulations in the middle of the 20th century, its range became fragmented and, currently, there are only two isolated populations. From a total of 1,236 historical records in Slovakia, most observations (782 records) came from the area of the Tajba National Nature Reserve (NNR). Three of the population viability analysis models (‘baseline’, ‘catastrophe’, ‘nest protection during a catastrophe’) indicated the extinction of the population in Tajba, with the highest probability of extinction occurring during a catastrophic event (probability of extinction 1.00). We also evaluated information about the activity patterns of seven radio-tracked individuals and about the number of destroyed nests from the area. During the period 2017–2021, we recorded only two turtles leaving the aquatic habitat of Tajba. An alarming fact is the massive number of destroyed nests found in the area during the study period (Tajba 524; Poľany 56). Our results indicate that the population in the Tajba NNR require immediate application of management steps to ensure its long-term survival.
Highlights
To other European freshwater turtles, the species is experiencing demographic declines throughout its geographic distribution which are attributed to a variety of factors, such as habitat fragmentation, drying of wetlands, loss of landscape connectivity, population isolation and nest depredation (Rogner 2009)
From a total of 1,236 records in Slovakia for the whole study period, 822 records are from the vicinity of Streda nad Bodrogom and 782 records were made from the area of the Tajba National Nature Reserve (NNR)
Literature sources dealing with the distribution of E. orbicularis in Slovakia allowed us to make an assumption about its accurate distribution range only in the middle of the 20th century
Summary
Turtles are facing serious survival issues worldwide. The European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis (Linnaeus, 1758)) is a freshwater turtle species inhabiting ponds, slow-flowing rivers and swamps, with a wide distribution range, extending from northern Africa through most of Europe up to the Aral Sea (Fritz 2001, 2003; Rogner 2009). To other European freshwater turtles, the species is experiencing demographic declines throughout its geographic distribution which are attributed to a variety of factors, such as habitat fragmentation, drying of wetlands, loss of landscape connectivity, population isolation and nest depredation (Rogner 2009). The European pond turtle is facing most of these threats at its northern range margin in Slovakia (Randík et al 1971; Kminiak 1992; Havaš and Danko 2009)
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