Emys-R – A socio-ecological evaluation of wetlands restoration and reintroduction programs in favour of the European pond turtle
An interdisciplinary European project on wetland restoration and the reintroduction of the European pond turtle, to which the Institute contributed as a subcontractor of Civitas University.
Lead Investigator: Maciej Ogrodniczuk
- Grant Number
- 2021/03/Y/NZ8/00101
- Start Date
- 1 December 2025
- End Date
- 31 December 2025
Project factsheet
| English name: | A socio-ecological evaluation of wetlands restoration and reintroduction programs in favour of the emblematic European pond turtle and associated biodiversity: a pan-European approach |
| Polish name: | Społeczno-ekologiczna ocena renaturyzacji terenów podmokłych i programów reintrodukcji emblematycznego europejskiego żółwia błotnego i związanej z nim różnorodności biologicznej: podejście ogólnoeuropejskie |
| Project type: | A project funded through the 2020–2021 Biodiversa+ and Water JPI joint call under the BiodivRestore ERA-NET Cofund; funded in Poland by the National Science Centre (BIODIVRESTORE programme, grant 2021/03/Y/NZ8/00101) |
| Duration of the whole project: | 1 February 2022 – 31 December 2025 |
| Duration of the subcontract: | 1 December 2025 – 31 December 2025 |
| Coordinator: | Jean-Yves Georges, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (IPHC), CNRS & University of Strasbourg |
| Polish partners: | University of Gdańsk (project leader for Poland), Collegium Civitas (now Civitas University), Warsaw |
| Polish participation: | Linguistic Engineering Group, Institute of Computer Science, Polish Academy of Sciences, as a subcontractor of Civitas University |
| Project website: | https://emysr.cnrs.fr/ |
Project summary
Emys-R is a three-year international research project focused on participatory activities in the field of nature protection, based on theories from the humanities, social and natural sciences. Its aim is to test the hypothesis that a higher degree of wetland restoration can compensate for the limited capacity of the captive-bred European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis) to settle in the wild, and to answer the question of how such conservation measures can benefit society by bringing people closer together and to nature.
The project includes three main activities:
- Study of the ecological processes improving wetland restoration and the reintroduction of the European pond turtle, through the assessment of habitat regeneration using biocenotic indicators and the monitoring of reintroduced populations and their effects on other species with biologging and eDNA methods.
- Seeking a balance between goals, benefits and policies from an ecological and socio-economic perspective: investigating the impact on non-target species (endangered amphibians and invasive crayfish), exploring the benefits of restoration and people’s perception of restored nature, raising public awareness and conducting deliberative processes in nature protection decision-making.
- Development of guidelines for optimal wetland restoration methods supporting the reintroduction of the European pond turtle and the involvement of people in nature protection, together with a new model predicting the future distribution and abundance of the species.
Consortium
- CNRS & Université de Strasbourg, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (IPHC), Strasbourg – project leader
- CNRS & Université de Strasbourg, Laboratoire Image Ville Environnement (LIVE), Strasbourg
- ENGEES, GEStion Territoriale de l’Eau et de l’Environnement (GESTE), Strasbourg
- Collectivité européenne d’Alsace, Strasbourg
- LOEWE Center for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (TBG), Senckenberg Nature Research Institute, Frankfurt
- Kreisverwaltung Germersheim, Germersheim
- Nature And Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU), Mainz
- Daugavpils University, Life Science and Technology Institute, Daugavpils
- University of Gdańsk – project leader for Poland
- Collegium Civitas, Warsaw
Participation of the Institute
The Institute of Computer Science, Polish Academy of Sciences contributed to the project as a subcontractor of Civitas University in December 2025.