Large numbers of red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) have been imported into Europe for several years as part of the pet trade. These alien turtles have entered habitats where they interact with native pond turtles (Emys orbicularis). We investigated competition for basking sites, because optimal basking sites may be a restricted resource in the wild. We used experimental ponds to compare basking-place selection between single-species groups and mixed-species groups. Both species preferred basking places in open deep water. In mixed groups the sliders outcompeted the European turtles for preferred basking places. Although competition for basking places is only one component of resource partitioning between these two species, it provided an insight into the relationships between an introduced and a native species. Behavioural asymmetries like those detected in our experiments argue for the caution principle in the animal trade.

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ABSTRACT1. Massive importation of slider turtles (Trachemys scripta elegans) as a pet in France over the past few decades has been followed by the release of many of these turtles into natural environments. T. scripta elegans is now widely distributed in France.2. This paper reports on the successful reproduction of this species in France, with confirmed production of both sexes from nests incubated in the wild. These results indicate that the turtle T. scripta elegans can reproduce in the wild and that its long-term persistence is possible in France.3. The potential impact of this invasive species in natural ecosystems warrants future study. Meanwhile, authorities are strongly encouraged to educate the public to the potential danger of exotic species introduction for local ecosystems and to capture and remove this species from wetlands in southern Europe.

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a b s t r a c tA number of recent authors have emphasised the increasing disconnection from conservation issues among urban dwellers. In a global increase of urbanisation, this disconnect can have an impact on conservation practices. Here, we discuss how managers of public green spaces can contribute to global biodiversity preservation, through combined efforts to preserve local biodiversity and educate the public about conservation issues. We compared several management strategies, including those that mixed direct action on local biodiversity with public education and those that did not. Two kinds of one-way communication were considered as well as a two-way communication process, which take into account different perceptions and practices of nature. We based our model on the introduction of the red-eared slider turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans, into urban French freshwater ecosystems.We found that direct actions only had a limited, short term effect on the abundance of feral turtles in green spaces and had no effect on the level of public concern about environmental questions. We also showed that a mix of different communication strategies improved people's awareness and altered behaviour with respect to introduced species issues. Finally, we showed the importance of a two-way communication that takes into account the diversity of personal perceptions and practices as regards nature in urban areas in order to achieve sustainable conservation measures and objectives.

The European pond turtle, Emys orbicularis, is a wide ranging species, distributed from Northwest Africa over a large part of Europe and Asia Minor to the Caspian and Aral Seas. For 106 pond turtles from France mtDNA sequence variation has been assessed, using a 1031 bp portion of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Three of nine haploclades currently known from the entire species' range were found in France. One clade (II) is represented with four very similar haplotypes, differing by one mutation, and the two other clades (V, VI) are represented with one haplotype each. A syntopic occurrence of clades II and V is reported for the first time for the Camargue. Besides, clade II occurs in the French regions Aquitaine, Centre-Val de Loire, and Rhône-Alpes. Outside of France, it is found mainly in the catchment areas of the Danube and Oder rivers and in the Balkans. Haploclade V, which is also known from the Apennine peninsula, Sardinia, and the northern Mediterranean coast of Spain, is restricted in France to Corsica and the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. A single individual bearing a haplotype of an Iberian and North African clade (VI) was found in Aquitaine near Pau. This could indicate gene flow between the Iberian peninsula and West France, if the specimen is native. The distribution of the distinct haploclades in France probably reflects Holocene range expansions, especially of haploclade II turtles. In the postglacial, haploclade II terrapins arrived from the east and spread over the Rhône corridor to the Mediterranean coast. In the southern Rhône area they met and hybridized with haploclade V turtles. Further research is needed to clarify whether this hybridization is a locally restricted phenomenon.

1. Despite conservation programmes (India 1975, Nepal 1978) gharial populations (Gavialis gangeticus) have declined over their entire distribution range. Information about the current status and main threats is needed to implement effective conservation measures. 2. This study presents a survey (2003/2004) of the largest Nepalese gharial population in the Chitwan National Park that has benefited from regular re-introduction of young gharials since 1981. 3. Population size estimates fluctuate between 34 (2003) and 38 (2004). The reintroduction programme, although of limited success, has helped to maintain the gharial population. 4. Gharials bask preferentially in large sand banks, and these sites must be protected. 5. The main threats are from a dam that causes fish depletion and flushes gharials from the protected area, sand mining and grazing that destroy basking sites, fishing that causes food shortage, drift nets that kill gharial, and water pollution. 6. Improvement in the survival of reintroduced gharials is needed. Strict protection of preferred basking sites and prohibition of fishing in the main settling zones are the principal conservation measures while in the long term, education and participatory management by local people are also necessary

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), invasive species are one of the most important causes of biodiversity decline at a global scale. The impact of introduced species on local ecosystems is thus important to evaluate. Pet voluntary introductions are made by private people and usually concern only one or two individuals per occasion. However, the number of release occasions is as numerous as the number of pet owners that don't want to keep their pet anymore and then decide to "release" it. Hatchling red-eared slider turtles (Trachemys scripta elegans) have been massively exported from the United States to European (until 1997) and Asian countries to be sold as pets. Many owners, ignoring the potential consequences of their act, have released their grown up turtle in natural freshwater ecosystems. As a consequence, feral adult turtles have been detected all over France. In this paper, we provide information that contradicts public opinion that introduced slider turtle is strictly carnivorous. By analysing the diet of feral adult turtles, we found that adult slider turtles are omnivorous, as in their natural areas.