Emys Project

The project’s conservation actions are implemented in synergy with other protection programmes led by the Emys Piemonte Centre and the Management Authority of the Protected Areas of the Piedmont Po, with the following objectives:

• Re-establish a colony of European pond turtles in an area from which the species has disappeared;

• Strengthen an existing population that currently shows clear signs of vulnerability;

• Convert an area currently used for agriculture into a permanent wetland (land acquisition funded by the Park Authority, environmental restoration funded by the Life URCA project) within the SAC “Paludi di San Genuario e San Silvestro”;

• Improve habitat in the “Sponde fluviali di Palazzolo Vercellese” area by preparing terrestrial zones as nesting sites.

The project follows a series of steps leading to the release of numerous European pond turtles into the wild. These include breeding and management of adult breeders, monitoring of egg-laying, incubation of eggs, housing of hatchlings in the laboratory, rearing and management of juveniles in the outdoor nursery, release into the wild, and ongoing monitoring of the released animals.

At the Palazzolo Vercellese site, a period of 3 to 4 years of releases is planned, totalling approximately 105–110 individuals. An additional 30–40 individuals will be released in the S. Genuario area over one or two years, depending on turtle availability.