EMYS-R

EMYS-R consolidates an existing international network of researchers and stakeholders to share complementary knowledge on past, present and future wetlands, biodiversity and their management. It is a 3-year participatory action-oriented research project based on seminal theories in humanities, social and natural sciences. It aims at testing the hypothesis that higher degrees of wetland restoration can compensate for limited capabilities of captive-bred Emys to settle in the wild, and how specifically such conservation actions benefit society by bringing together people and nature. EMYS-R aims to:

1) investigate the ecological processes improving wetland restoration and Emys reintroduction based on a) a focus on habitat recovery after restoration using biocenotic indices; b) a focus on Emys by monitoring reintroduced populations and their impact on other species using state-of-the-art biologging and eDNA.

2) assess tradeoffs and synergies between targets, benefits and policies, with a) an ecological focus on nontarget species (threatened amphibians and invasive crayfish); b) a socio-economic focus on value benefits of restoration, people’s perception of restored nature, citizen science and deliberative processes involved in multi-stakeholder decision settings related to nature conservation.

3) ultimately produce guidelines for optimal wetland restoration protocols in favor of Emys reintroduction and people engagement in nature conservation based on a) our integrative approach, b) a review of past and current results, and c) a new model forecasting near future distribution and abundance of Emys at the European scale.

This very first integrated analysis of socio-ecological processes in degraded wetlands will lead to socially supported, effective wetland restoration in favour of emblematic Emys and associated local biodiversity throughout Europe.