Children Prioritize Virtual Exotic Biodiversity over Local Biodiversity

Environmental education is essential to stem current dramatic biodiversity loss, and childhood is considered as the key period for developing awareness and positive attitudes toward nature. Children are strongly influenced by the media, notably the internet, about biodiversity and conservation issues. However, most media focus on a few iconic, appealing, and usually exotic species. In addition, virtual activities are replacing field experiences. This situation may curb children knowledge and concerns about local biodiversity. Focusing our analyses on local versus exotic species, we examined the level of knowledge and the level of diversity of the animals that French schoolchildren are willing to protect, and whether these perceptions are mainly guided by information available in the internet. For that, we collected and compared two complementary data sets: 1) a questionnaire was administered to schoolchildren to assess their knowledge and consideration to protect animals, 2) an internet content analysis (i.e. Google searching sessions using keywords) was performed to assess which animals are the most often represented. Our results suggest that the knowledge of children and their consideration to protect animal are mainly limited to internet contents, represented by a few exotic and charismatic species. The identification rate of local animals by schoolchildren was meager, suggesting a worrying disconnection from their local environment. Schoolchildren were more prone to protect “virtual” (unseen, exotic) rather than local animal species. Our results reinforce the message that environmental education must also focus on outdoor activities to develop conservation consciousness and concerns about local biodiversity

Sex-specific ecophysiological responses to environmental fluctuations of free-ranging Hermann\u27s tortoises: implication for conservation

Physiological parameters provide indicators to evaluate how organisms respond to conservation actions. For example, individuals translocated during reinforcement programmes may not adapt to their novel host environment and may exhibit elevated chronic levels of stress hormones and/or decreasing body condition. Conversely, successful conservation actions should be associated with a lack of detrimental physiological perturbation. However, physiological references fluctuate over time and are influenced by various factors (e.g. sex, age, reproductive status). It is therefore necessary to determine the range of natural variations of the selected physiological metrics to establish useful baselines. This study focuses on endangered free-ranging Hermann\u27s tortoises (Testudo hermanni hermanni), where conservation actions have been preconized to prevent extinction of French mainland populations. The influence of sex and of environmental factors (site, year and season) on eight physiological parameters (e.g. body condition, corticosterone concentrations) was assessed in 82 individuals from two populations living in different habitats. Daily displacements were monitored by radio-tracking. Most parameters varied between years and seasons and exhibited contrasting sex patterns but with no or limited effect of site. By combining behavioural and physiological traits, this study provides sex-specific seasonal baselines that can be used to monitor the health status of Hermann\u27s tortoises facing environmental threats (e.g. habitat changes) or during conservation actions (e.g. translocation). These results might also assist in selection of the appropriate season for translocation

Recent Invaders in Small Mediterranean Islands: Wild Boars Impact Snakes in Port-Cros National Park

Mediterranean islands host unique ecosystems that are particularly vulnerable to invasive species. However, knowledge regarding the precise impact of invasive species on local biodiversity remains limited for many of these systems. Here we report on the negative impacts of invasive wild boars (Sus scrofa) on native snakes on islands in the Mediterranean basin. Capture-mark-recapture was initiated in 2012 on two snake species (Montpellier snake, Malpolon monspessulanus and Ladder snake, Zamenis scalaris) across two islands of Port-Cros National Park. Several wild boars, an invasive species, reached the islands in 2007. They remained confined to small areas of the islands for several years. In Port-Cros, the numbers of wild boars suddenly increased in 2015, and rapidly colonized the whole island damaging vast land surfaces. In Porquerolles, wild boars did not proliferate. This offered an opportunity to examine the impact of wild boar outbreak with a Before-After Control-Impact design (BACI). Snake counts and mark-recapture modeling showed that demographic traits were stable before 2016 for both snake species on both islands. As well as abundance, recruitment, and population growth rate of Montpellier snakes significantly declined where wild boars proliferated but remained constant on the island where they did not. Wild boars probably impacted snake numbers through habitat destruction and direct killing. The rapid decline of snakes (apex predators) and intensive uprooting that strongly damage ground dwelling species (plants, animals) suggest that wild boars represent a serious threat to island biodiversity. As elsewhere around the world, these invasive ungulates proliferate in the Mediterranean basin, they are proficient swimmers and exhibit a remarkably high invasive potential. We recommend vigilance and fast eradication to prevent population outburst; even a few a localized non-proliferating individuals contain the latent potential for devastating outbreaks

ESPECES CHARISMATIQUES, ESPECES LOCALES ET SERPENTS EN EDUCATION A L'ENVIRONNEMENT. Evaluation sur dix pays de la perception des enfants à protéger la faune et importance de l'expérience de terrain

Pour synthétiser, cette thèse vise trois objectifs : 1- Evaluer si l'éducation à l'environnement telle qu'elle est pratiquée permet effectivement aux enfants de connaitre et d'essayer de protéger la biodiversité locale au même titre que les espèces charismatiques. 2- Mesurer l'importance de l'expérience de terrain avec la nature, ici via la découverte des serpents dans leur milieu, sur le développement d'attitudes concrètes et favorables à la biodiversité. 3- Evaluer les tendances du statut de populations de serpents, identifier les principales menaces et des moyens pour permettre leur conservation. Notamment en utilisant l'éducation pour la préservation de la biodiversité

Is popularity a double-edged sword? Children want to protect but also harvest tortoises

International audienc

Une ponte record chez la couleuvre de Montpellier Malpolon monspessulanus

International audienceA clutch of 15 eggs was recorded in a large female Montpellier snake (snout-vent length SVL100cm, total length 130cm). In France, this represents the maximal value recorded for the species, butlittle information is available on the fecundity of this species. Pre-laying and post-laying maternal masswas respectively of 579g and 379g. On average, the eggs measured 38.8mm x 26.0mm and weighted 15.0g(note that the eggs were examined 1.5 day after laying, hence each absorbed approximately 1.7 g of waterprior to measurements). Relative clutch mass was 50%

Sampling of “priority protection species”.

<p>The adequacy of sampling was based on richness estimator (Chao estimator) for the internet (raw and adjusted, N = 236 samples; see text for details) and schoolchildren (raw and adjusted, N = 250 samples; see text for details). All the curves reached a plateau, indicating that we adequately sampled the diversity of “priority protection species” both for the internet and for schoolchildren.</p

Local vs. exotic biodiversity.

<p>Proportion of exotic (grey bars) and local (black bars) species for which live specimens have been seen/observed by schoolchildren (“Species observed”), that were successfully identified by schoolchildren (“Species identified”) and that were perceived as “priority protection” by schoolchildren (“Priority protection species”). See text for details.</p