Dear Attendees of the EMYS Symposium at Košice - Fauna Carpatica

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT
due to various factors, mainly large scale land reclamation projects undergone in
the past, and, more recently, the intense and at times unauthorized urbanization of
the coast for tourism, the cementation of channel banks, the alteration of the sanddune
system caused by natural erosion and coastal withdrawal, and the increasing
exploitotion of ground water resouces. All of these factors have jeopardized the
already precarious state of Emys orbicularis, thereby causing an ever increasing
populational decrease. Three of the sites studied represent a particular cause of
concern, because they are inhabited by the exotic pond terrapin Trachemys scripta,
which is well adapted to the local environment, as evidenced by its reproductive
success. At present only two populations of Salentine Emys orbicularis can be
considered as sufficiently protected. The other sites are not subject to any form of
protection. It is therefore suggested that various safety measures should be adopted
in order to save this species from possible extinction in the region, through
proposals for the creation of special protection zones, and programmes of assisted
breeding and the reintroduction of the species.
POSTER PRESENTATION
Emys orbicularis in the South Urals, Russia
VINER KHABIBULLIN 1,2
1 Bashkir State University, Frunze 32, 450074 Ufa, Russia
2 Corresponding author for abstract [E-mail: KhabibullinVF@ic.bashedu.ru]
The northeastern border of the distribution area of the European pond turtle Emys
orbicularis (L., 1758) extends along the territory of the South Urals (within the
limits of Bashkortostan, Orenburg and Chelyabinsk regions). Some aspects of the
biology of E. orbicularis are presented. The data on distribution of E.orbicularis are
based on original field research (1994-1999), as well as on data obtained from
museum collections, literature and personal communications from the South Urals.
In the western part of the South Urals E.orbicularis has been registered far more to
the north (at least 180 km) than in the Trans-Urals. Thus the southern foothills of
the Ural mountains serve as an obstacle for the northward expansion of this species
(Khabibullin, 1999). We think that at present the European pond turtle inhabits the
basins of the Ural and Belaya rivers and that the northern distribution border of
E.orbicularis can be drawn as an approximate line passing Buguruslan - Abdulino -
Fyodorovka - Meleuz - Zilair - Sibay - Bredy. The reduction of the turtle's
distribution area and the decrease in its population density (Yakovlev et al., 1997) is
probably caused by habitat fragmentation, environmental changes, as well as by
increasing anthropogenic pressure and uncontrolled captures of turtles. In the future
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