Laurenţiu Rozylowicz

The Hermann tortoises – preserving the flagship specie for south-west Romania/Romania

The tortoise population is declining in Romania due to the habitats degradation, killings caused by the people, cropping for pets etc. The mortality is amplified by the species' biology. The project aim is to improve the institutional level of protection and to raise population awareness on Testudo hermanni boettgeri importance.

The conservation activities shall be performed through: obtaining information on the patterns of territory usage by tortoises in order to estimate the habitats isolation degree; completing the tortoises distribution pattern in Romania by including bioclimatic parameters; recommendations on the establishment of a new protected areas network in South-western Romania for tortoises protection; the development of a raising awareness campaign in the vulnerability areas. For determining the territory usage, 7 tortoises will be monitored by glue on radiotransmitters and iButtons thermometers.

The results will be data about the home range, distances covered, barriers, interaction with other species, thermoregulation. Following the determination of habitats suitability and fragmentation degree, in cooperation with Iron Gates Park Administration, the areas requiring special protection shall be delimited. Proposals shall be submitted to the Iron Gates Natural Park Scientific Council and subsequently published in order to get them into specialist's consideration.
In addition, an educational campaign shall be performed for the farmers and the tourists, mainly in the Iron Gates Natural Park are.

The campaign will include: meetings with the farmers from Eselnita, Dubova, Ilovita, Svinita, Gura-Vaii and Divici-Pojejena, improved web page (www.portiledefier.ro/carapax), A2 poster entitled Hermann's tortoise – a protected species that will be displayed in town halls and schools, media articles, photo exhibition.

For more information, contact rozylowicz@gmail.com

Read about his latest RSG project at http://www.ruffordsmallgrants.org/rsg/projects/laurentiu_rozylowicz

Project Update December 2006

Tortoise with radiotransmitter

Starting with May 2006, 7 ATS R1930 transmitters have been installed on tortoises from Eselnita – Mehedinti County. Simultaneous, 60 DS1921G temperature sensors have been installed in the tortoise area.

The sensors were installed on 8 tortoises (out of them 7 had transmitter), on soil surface and in soil at a 20 cm, in characteristic habitats from: Bazia?, Divici, Coronini – Sfânta Elena, Câr?ie, Gornea, Svini?a, E?elni?a, ?arov??,
Stârmina and ?isesti. The preliminary data indicate that tortoise territory had an average of 0,87 ha for males and 1,39 ha for females. Right now, the tortoises entered the sleep-hibernation season, so by April we will develop the draft version of the habitat suitability index.

Within the activity concerning the proposal of new areas to be included under protection a first discussion took place on August 15th, 2006 with the representatives of the Iron Gates Park Administration and Caras-Severin and
Mehedinti Environmental Protection Agencies. The next meeting will take place in February, when a concrete proposal regarding the protection area for Hermann's tortoise shall be included on the agenda. The layout of the A2
poster entitled Hermann's tortoise – a protected species has been made and a meeting within the Divici town school has been performed.

In January – April we will focus on the educational campaign, the fieldwork activities being stopped during the sleep-hibernation season.

Final Report

Read more about the activities undertaken and findings of this project in the final report below.

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