Impact of the traffic on a population of European pond turtles (Emys orbicularis) inhabiting heavily urbanized area at the city of Burgas

Impact of the traffic on a population of European pond turtles (Emys orbicularis) inhabiting heavily urbanized area at the city of Burgas | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Impact of the traffic on a population of European pond turtles (Emys orbicularis) inhabiting heavily urbanized area at the city of Burgas Nikolay Natchev, Ivan Telenchev, Nikolay Nedyalkov, Nikolay Kolev, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4480660/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract We report on the impact of vehicle traffic on a local population of European pond turtles ( Emys orbicularis ) inhabiting the city of Burgas (Bulgaria). We performed a six-year monitoring program to collect data on the presence of turtles on road E 87 in the south region of the city. The road section splits a Natura 2000 site and crosses through an artificial water basin with fresh to brackish water. We visited the road section in irregular intervals from 3 to over 20 days in the period March to October from 2016 to 2021. For the period of the monitoring, we were able to detect a total of over 300 specimens from all ontogenetic stages (33 juveniles, 74 subadults and 224 adults). During our field surveys in 2016, we detected a total of 47 live and 23 dead adults. In the next years, we found more dead adult turtles than live ones. Similar results were recorded for subadults. In the juveniles, the dead specimens were almost equal to those which were detected alive. Our results indicate an impact of the traffic on the local population of E. orbicularis . We discuss the design and position of constructions, which can mitigate the conflict and reduce the potential for WVC. road kills herpeto-fauna road effects behavior vertebrate conservation mitigation measures Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 1. Introduction Despite its name, in recent times, the European pond turtle is not endemic to Europe but inhabits also Northern Africa and western Asia [ 1 ]. During the postglacial period in the early Holocene (11700–9100 years ago), the range of Emys orbicularis fluctuated in large ranges [ 2 , 3 ]. It reached its maximum during the Atlantic period (about 8000 to 6000 BC). when the temperatures in Europe were high and the species thrived in the northern territories in Europe and Asia such as modern days Sweden, Great Brittan, Northern France, Northern Siberia etc. (for an overview see [ 4 ]). Actually, E. orbicularis was the only chelonian species inhabiting the northern areas of the Western Palaearctic [ 2 ]. According to archaeological findings and climatological modelling, Nekrasova et al. [ 4 ] demonstrated a natural decline in the range of E. orbicularis in the period of the end of 15th to the 19th century AC. The European pond turtle retrieved from northern Europe and nowadays, the northernmost populations are in the Baltic region [ 5 ]. The species was consumed intensively during the times of the great famine [ 6 ] in northern and central Europe in the 17th century [ 7 ] and was suffering habitat loss due to anthropogenic activities [ 8 – 10 ]. Currently, in some European countries like Austria, Spain, Germany, France, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Switzerland, E. orbicularis is represented with only a few isolated populations, which are objects of intense monitoring and conservation efforts [ 9 , 11 – 17 ]. In Poland there are relatively abundant habitats, however, the structure and number of the populations are not optimal and support from specialists is required [ 18 ]. To date, in the southern and eastern sections of its range, E. orbicularis formed relatively dense populations [ 19 – 24 ]. However, natural and anthropogenic threats for the European pond turtle, such as habitat deterioration; predation (by dogs, foxes, golden jackals); pressure by invasive species such as the raccoon and the raccoon dog; direct concurrences with allochthon species, like the Red year slider complex ( Trachemys scripta ssp.) and other species were recognized [ 1 , 22 , 25 – 28 ]. Isolated cases of mass collection (over 1300) of E. orbicularis were also recorded (see [ 29 , 30 ]). Road mortality is regarded as the key factor for the condition of the populations of semi-aquatic turtles in areas around roads with heavy traffic ([ 10 , 31 – 33 ]. Based on the recognized danger for the European pond turtle’s populations, the species is included in international documents and conservation programs: E. orbicularis is listed in Appendix II (Highly protected animal species) and Annex III (Protected animal species) of the Berne Convention [ 34 ]; Annex II (Species of general interest for which have to be declared NATURA 2000 sites) and Annex IV (Highly protected Animal and Plant species of Social interest) of the Council Directive 92/43/EEC [ 35 ]; in IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is listed as Near -threatened [ 36 ]. In the Bulgarian legislation [ 37 ], E. orbicularis was included in Annex II (Species for which special NATURA 2000 sites for the protection of their habitat have to be established) and Annex III (Species, which are highly protected on the whole territory of the Republic of Bulgaria). In the present study, we provided data from a long-term monitoring of a road section in the range of Burgas city (SE Bulgaria). We identified hotspots (sensu [ 38 ]) and hot moments (see [ 39 ]) of increased rates of collision of European pond turtles with vehicles in the range of a protected site from the European network NATURA 2000. We discuss the possible measures to mitigate the impact of the traffic on the local turtle population and provide example designs for the construction of a protection-defragmentation system. 2. Materials and Methods The section of road E 87, which connects the South industrial zone of Burgas to the neighbourhood Kraymorie (see Fig. 1 ) was an object of six-year monitoring. The monitoring was performed in pairs of experts on a strict transect along the cycle alley beside the traffic lanes (Fig. 2 a, 2 b). Each transect started at the entrance of the “Poda” Nature Conservation Center, took course north, toward the industrial zone and after about 4.8 km the route was walked in the opposite direction. Both experts walked slowly in an attempt not to overlook any objects. We performed the monitoring in irregular intervals from 3 to more than 20 days in the period March to October in the years 2016. For the years after 2016, we concentrated our efforts on active search in the period March–August, because in all these years after the end of July, the waters retrieve far away from the road infrastructure [ 40 ]. In the years 2017 and 2018 we performed only test transects in late August, September and October with no recorded objects. In the year 2021, the investigations were performed only in the spring. For our field surveys, we selected only days with sunny weather and light to moderate wind. We started the transects always in the afternoon and worked for about 4 to 6 hours. During the first half of the transect (in a northern direction), the researchers were concentrated on the investigation of the section beside the cycle alley in the direction opposite to the traffic lanes. In this stripe, we were able to detect dead turtles, but also specimens which were basking or were actively walking. When we turned our course southward, we were concentrated on the asphalt covering the traffic lanes and the cycle alley. During the second part of the route, we were inspecting the field for live turtles and also for dead specimens, or body remnants (carapace/plastron parts, detached extremities and cranio-cervical fragments, pieces of skin, smashed eggs) and all other indicators of turtle’s presence in the area. All objects of interest were documented photographically in detail. During the field surveys, we did not remove any carcasses or fragments from dead turtles. We avoided recounting by comparison of previously taken pictures. The only objects we had removed from the asphalt were live turtles. They were repositioned as far as possible within the reed eastern from the cycle alley. The position of all observed objects was recorded by the use of “Garmin Etrex 30” hand held GPS system (Garmin International Inc., Kansas, USA). The collected field data with the location of the investigated points and tracks were integrated into a GIS environment, ESRI shp. format, using the coordinate system WGS84 (UTM35N). The data processing was performed with the standard tools of ArcGIS10 and the corresponding extensions of the used software. We were not able to determine the sex of all killed specimens as often there were only body fragments available [ 41 ]. We identified the sex only in specimens where the claws were available, or we were able to investigate the position of the cloaca on the tail [ 26 ]. 3. Results The total time of performed work was about 460 hours in 48 days. During this working time, we were able to obtain information on a total of 331 European pond turtles. We found a total of 112 alive specimens of E. orbicularis from all ontogenetic stag-es (Table 1 ). The other records were of “alive without perspective” animals, found in the vicinity of the road (Fig. 3 ), or entirely destroyed animals on the traffic lanes (Fig. 4 ). Three adults and two juvenile specimens were found hit by bicycles at the cycle alley (Fig. 5 ). In Fig. 1 we represent the position and concentration of encounters of live and dead turtles along the transect. The biggest percentage of the documented object was within the section in direct vicinity to BG0000271 “Mandra-Poda”, announced with Designation Order № RD-308/31.03.2021, issued by the Minister of Environment and Water, promulgated in State Gazette no. 48 of 08.06.2021 [ 42 ]. One of the main conservation objectives in the Natura 2000 site (point 3.5 of the Designation Order) is to improve the habitats of amphibian and reptile species. According to the Standard Data Form (SDF) of BG0000271 “Mandra-Poda”, within the boundaries of the site, there are at least 8 localities of the species [ 42 ]. The northern section of the transect (outside of the Protected Site) was disproportionately loaded with only accidental findings of turtles (Fig. 1 ). If we use the method of [ 39 ] and split the season into intervals of two weeks, we detected a hot moment of collision of turtles with vehicles in the four two-week periods during June and July in each of the research years. In the year 2016, we were able to detect plenty of live specimens (Table 1 ) – we made a record of 40 detected animals in a single day in July. After 2016 we were not able to detect more than several live specimens per day. In the years after 2016, the dead animals were always more than the alive specimens per day (a few exceptions are three days in 2017, where no dead animals were recorded and in general 5 live turtles were detected). Our investigation indicated, that the dead turtles were not an object of intense interest from the local predators. Some of the carcasses remained in the same position for several months. We detected several dead turtles to be removed from their initial position several meters, however, this may be a result of the traffic or other human intervention. Table 1 Data on the European pond turtles detected during the long-term monitoring along the section of road E 87 between the south industrial zone and Kraymorie in Burgas city (SE Bulgaria). Year Alive Dead Total 2016 80 40 120 2017 16 15 31 2018 5 77 82 2019 1 43 44 2020 6 41 47 2021 3 4 7 Concerning the sex ratio of the detected turtles, we were able to identify 148 females and only 18 males out of 224 adults. For the other detected adult turtles, sex determination was not possible. The hot spot of observations of alive turtles and dead specimens overlap largely for all of the ontogenetic stages and is concentrated in a section with a length of about 2150 m. along the boundaries of the SAC BG0000271 “Mandra-Poda” (Fig. 1 ). 4. Discussion The European pond turtle is often regarded as a semi-aquatic species because it can travel distances of more than one kilometer on land [ 43 – 46 ] and is able even to feed outside the water [ 47 ]. Near the town of Preslav (NE-Bulgaria), Stojanov et al. [ 26 ] detected one specimen walking on land at a distance of several kilometers from the nearest water basin. The turtles from the investigated site at E87 were found to migrate on land in all of the transects except in these performed in March (with only one exception where a dead juvenile was detected). However, the most often encounters were performed in June and July. These results are similar to the results reported by Beaudry et al. [ 39 ] for Blanding’s turtles ( Emydoidea blandingii ). The Blanding’s turtle has very similar biology to that of the European pond turtle and this period is consistent with the season of egg deposition. In [ 39 ], the authors detected increased mortality in both sexes during the hot moments, however, our findings of males are in general rather scarce. It is possible that in contrast to E. blandingii , the males in E. orbicularis are less active in their migrations during the beginning of the summer. Despite we were not able to perform a precise comparison (we had not determined the sex of all specimens), our results indicate that the females E. orbicularis were more often victims of WVC. This is in line with the data reported for some other semi-aquatic turtle species [ 31 , 48 , 49 ]. The turtle populations living around roads with intense traffic are often heavily male-biased, and this may impact the stability of such populations in long term [ 31 , 48 , 50 , 51 ]. Different to [ 41 ], in our investigation on E. orbicularis we found dead specimens from all ontogenetic stages. This may be interpreted as an indication of the low noise, vibration and road edge avoidance in the local turtle population (see [ 52 ]). Some turtles inhabiting the vicinity of roads with intensive traffic, develop a tolerance towards stressors related to the passing motor vehicles. The levels of stress hormones in individuals of a population of Painted turtles ( Chrysemys picta ), living around an important motorway in Canada were comparable to those of the control group of animals living far away from any roads [ 53 ]. The section of road E 87, connecting the Industrial zone of Burgas and Kraymorie was constructed within a site which is optimally suited for E. orbicularis (see [ 54 , 55 ]). Some data indicate, that in the past there were also cases of turtles killed on the road [ 55 , 56 ], but during the fieldwork performed in the range of the project "Mapping and determining the conservation status of natural habitats and species - phase I", launched by the Ministry of Environment and Waters in Bulgaria, only live animals were detected [ 55 ]. However, the author assessed the traffic on the existing road "Burgas-Sozopol" as causing mortality of E. orbicularis . Therefore, he gave an „unfavourable-poor” assessment at the local level according to the indicator "Mortality due to road traffic". Later (in 2013–2014), east and parallel to the traffic lanes of the road section a cycling alley was constructed (see Fig. 2 a, 2 b). The cycle alley was completely finished in 2015 and is still operational. We propose that the cycle alley, as a new element of the road infrastructure, had an impact on the behavior of the local turtles. Before the construction of the cycle alley, the turtles lived in the direct vicinity of the traffic, and after the cycle alley was finished, they received a buffer of about 2 meters between the edge of the asphalt and the traffic lanes. The temperature conditions on the cycle alley and the traffic lanes are presumably identical, however, the substrate changed with the construction of the new asphalt stripe. It is possible that with time, the local turtles adapted to the new conditions in a way to avoid the cycle lane. Our results indicate that the live turtles found on the alley were rather few with exception of the first year of the investigation – 2016 (Table 1 ). Populations of “small-bodied pond turtles” (like E. orbicularis ) seem to be less vulnerable to traffic impact compared to “large-bodied pond turtles” and “terrestrial/semiterrestrial/land turtles” [ 57 ]. According to [ 58 ], the most important step for the protection of pond turtles is the adequate and on-time management of the populations. Studies in the past demonstrated that even temporary and simple mitigation measures may have a great positive effect on populations which inhabit vicinities of roads with intensive traffic. Aresco [ 31 ] constructed a fence system around a section of about 1.2 km on the US Highway 27, which splits a water basin in-habited by various amphibians and reptiles. The author detected the hotspots of mortality and in the year 2000 he fenced the water bodies in the region with drift nets. The effect was immediate and the mortality of the turtle species dropped from 9.7/km/day during the pre-fenced period to 0.08/km/day after the fences were placed. The ingress of turtles to/on the road was neglectable after the fencing (84 out of 8466 turtles reached the road). Concerning the design of constructions, preventing turtles to reach the traffic lanes, different approaches were tested [ 31 , 48 , 59 , 60 – 63 ]. According to the results of Aresco [ 31 ], even incomplete fencing of particular road sectors is rather effective, especially if it is combined with the possibility for the turtles to cross the road bed by a culverts or other type of underpasses. In the case of the section of E 87, such an underpass is existing in the southernmost section of the transect, however, its construction is only partly suitable as a passing facility for E. orbicularis . In dry conditions, the culvert has a vertical ledge which cannot be climbed by the turtles (Fig. 6 a, 6 b) - constructional corrections of that underpass are needed. As mentioned before, the existing culvert is in the south, but hot spots of turtle vehicle collisions can be found also further north. In our opinion, at least one additional underpass has to be constructed at km 1.2 to km 1.8 north from the start of the transect (Fig. 1 ). The financing of such measures is included in the National Prioritized Action Framework for Natura 2000 of Bulgaria, 2021–2027 [ 64 ]. This is Measure 68: Improving the conservation status of rep-tile species (incl. E. orbicularis ) by increasing the connectivity of their habitats (building green infrastructure). For SAC BG0000271 “Mandra-Poda”. Measure 68 prescribes for the road E87 (with coordinates - start N42.45263, E27.44604, end N42.44199, E27.47206) “construction of passages, guiding fences, noise- and light-isolating constructions and fence nets”. The implementation of Measure 68 is planned to be financed by the European Regional Development Fund, for which the estimated annual value of the measure and a general indicative budge has been set. According to [ 65 ], polymer materials are not suitable for permanent turtle fencing. Stoilova and Natchev [ 63 ] proposed a design based on fencing with coated metal nets, which is in line with the Bulgarian legislation for road construction. In the case of E87 in south Burgas, such construction had several negative aspects. The dense vegetation directly in the vicinity of the asphalt is an important part of the microhabitat. The reeds beside the cycle alley have to be preserved, because they play a crucial role in bird nesting, hiding places for small tetrapods and basking zone for reptiles. In our opinion, the best solution for the section of E87 would be the construction proposed by Dodd et al. [ 59 ]. These authors designed a barrier wall, which they term “Type-A fence”. Type A fence is a part of a fencing-defragmentation system, which prevents the access of turtles to the road. This fence is a solid construction, build from two guard rails “…with a hardware cloth barrier sunk below ground.” At E87, such a double guard rail fence has to be built under the existing road-rail (see Fig. 2 a, 2 b, 3 ). The fence will block the access of turtles to the traffic lanes but will allow them to use the asphalt of the cycle lane, for e.g. migration, thermoregulation etc. (see Figs. 2 a, 2 b, 3 ). We detected some crashed turtles apparently after collision with a bicycle (Fig. 5 ), however, such encounters were rather rare. The Type A fence will be almost impenetrable for all kinds of small animals, however, it is not high enough to hinder a larger mammal to jump over it in case it enters the traffic lanes. Such construction will also benefit the security of the motorcyclists on road E87 and will not affect in any case the cycle alley as an element of the peri-urban recreation infrastructure [see 66]. 5. Conclusions Our monitoring of the population of the European pond turtle along the section of E87 crossing the protected site BG BG0000271 “Mandra-Poda”, provided valuable data concerning the way the animals are affected by the traffic. We detected a period of a peak in mortality in the late spring and the early summer among the adult specimen, however alive and dead turtles from all ontogenetic stages were sporadically detected in the other seasons. Temporary “soft” measurements like advertisement companies, implementations of signs and speed limitation during the “hot moments” may be rather successful if applied properly [ 39 ]. In our case, such measures will have only limited effect, because the turtles can be hardly noticed by the drivers. Even the adult turtles are of small size and the color of the body does not contrast with the asphalt (especially in the dark period of the day). The investigated road section is straight (Fig. 1 ), but the lanes are rather narrow (Figs. 2 a, 2 b, 3 ) and the traffic in the warm seasons of the year is very intense. Even in the case that drivers are able to detect turtles on the road, there are only limited possibilities for reaction and applying avoiding maneuvers without implications on the traffic safety. We propose the construction of permanent fencing between the traffic lanes and the cycle alley, along the borders of the Protected site. The possibility of additional underpasses on the existing road has to be discussed with designers and in case there are proper methods, an additional culvert must be built. Declarations Acknowledgments. Tanja Kumanova and Maria Bakalova are acknowledged for support in photographic documentation and image design. Funding: The study was partially supported by the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science, Grant No. RD-08-108/30.01.2024. Data Availability Statement: All original GIS data, as well as photographic materials, can be provided by the authors in case of special interest. Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest. Author Contributions: Conceptualization, N.N., I.T., N.N. and T.K.; Methodology, N.N., I.T.; Validation, N.N., I.T., P.M. and T.K.; Investigation, N.N., I.T., N.K., R.T., P.M. and T.K.; Writing – Original Draft Preparation, N.N., N.N. and T.K.; Writing – Review & Editing, N.N., I.T., N.N, N.K, R.T, P.M. and T.K.; Visualization, N.N., I.T. N.K, and T.K. References Fritz U, Chiari Y. Conservation actions for European pond turtles – a summary of current efforts in distinct European countries. Herp Notes. 2013;6:105. Sommer R, Lindqvist C, Persson A, Bringsøe H, Rhodin A. Schneeweiß N, Široký P, Bachmann L, Fritz U. Unexpected early extinction of the European pond turtle ( Emys orbicularis ) in Sweden and climatic impact on its Holocene range. Mol Ecol. 2009;18(6):1252–1262. 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The importance of aquatic and terrestrial habitat for the European pond turtle ( Emys orbicularis ): implications for conservation planning and management. Can J Zool. 2005;82(111):1704–1712. https://doi.org/10.1139/z04-170 Ficetola G, De Bernardi F. Is the European “pond” turtle Emys orbicularis strictly aquatic and carnivorous? Amph Rept. 2006;27:445–447. Cadi A, Nemoz M, Thienpont S, Joly P. Annual home range and movement in freshwater turtles: management of the endangered European pond turtle ( Emys orbicularis ). Rev Esp Herp. 2008;22:71–86. Mitrus S. Is the European pond turtle Emys orbicularis strictly aquatic? – Habitats where the turtle lives in central Europe. A Herp. 2010;5(1):31–35. https://doi.org/10.13128/Acta_Herpetol-8533 Natchev N, Kummer S, Singer K, Lemell P, Jennemann G, Tzankov N, Heiss E. Feeding on land with a small tongue- ecomorphology of the feeding system in the European pond turtle Emys orbicularis L., 1758. 5th International Symposium on Emys orbicularis and other European freshwater turtles, Program and abstracts, 19-21 August, 2015, Kiten, Bulgaria, 24. Aresco M. The effect of sex-specific terrestrial movements and roads on the sex ratio of freshwater turtles. Biol. Cons. 2005;123:37–44. Brisbin I, Kennamer R, Peters E, Karapatakis D. A Long-Term Study of Eastern Box Turtles ( Terrapene c. carolina ) in a Suburban Neighborhood: Survival Characteristics and Interactions with Humans and Conspecifics. Herp Cons. 2008;26:367–380. Wood R, Herlands R. Turtles and tires: The impact of roadkills on Northern Diamondback Terrapin, Malaclemys terrapin terrapin, populations on the Cape May Peninsula, Southern New Jersey, USA.46–53. in Abbema JV Pritchard PCH eds. Proceedings: Conservation, Restoration, and Management of Tortoises and Turtles—An International Conference. 1997. New York: New York Turtle and Tortoise Society. Dupuis-Désormeaux M, D’Elia V, Cook C, Pearson J, Adhikari V, Macdonald S. Remarkable male bias in a population of Midland painted turtles ( Chrysemys picta marginata ) in Ontario. Canada. Herpetol Cons Biol. 2017;12(1):225–232. Da Rosa C, Bager A. Review of the factors underlying the mechanisms and effects of roads on vertebrates. Oecol Aust. 2013;17:6–19. http://dx.doi.org/10.4257/oeco.2013.1701.02 Baxter-Gilbert J, Riley J, Mastromonaco G, Litzgus J, Lesbarrères D. A novel technique to measure chronic levels of corticosterone in turtles living around a major roadway. Cons Physiol. 2014;2(1):036. https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/cou036 Popgeorgiev G. Distribution and assessment of the Nature Protection Status of Emys orbicularis in PS BG0000271 "Mandra-Poda". 2012, p 13. MoEW, Project "Mapping and determining the conservation status of natural habitats and species - phase I" http://natura2000.moew.government.bg/Home/ProtectedSite?code=BG0000271&siteType=HabitatDirective Kornilev Y. Distribution and evaluation of species 1220. Emys orbicularis (European pond turtle) in Protected site BG0000271 “Mandra-Poda”., 2012, MoEW, Project "Mapping and determining the conservation status of natural habitats and species - phase I" http://natura2000.moew.government.bg/Home/ProtectedSite?code=BG0000271&siteType=HabitatDirective Telenchev I, Mladenov V, Georgieva R, Redl E, Natchev N. Data of the herpetofauna-vehicle collisions in the re-gion of Burgas city (SE Bulgaria). Proc. 55-th Conf Ruse Univ - reports awarded with ”Best Paper“ Crystal Prize, 2017, SAT-2.209-I-EEP-04, 128–132. Gibbs J, Sriver G. Estimating the Effects of Road Mortality on Turtle Populations. Cons Biol. 2002;16(6):1647–1652. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1523-1739.2002.01215.x Crawford B, Maerz J, Nibbelink N, Buhlmann K, Norton T. Estimating the consequences of multiple threats and management strategies for semi-aquatic turtles. J App Ecol. 2014;51:359–366. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.12194 Dodd C, Barichivich W, Smith L. Effectiveness of a barrier wall and culverts in reducing wildlife mortality on a heavily traveled highway in Florida. Biol Cons. 2003;118:619–631. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2003.10.011 Huijser M, McGowen P, Clevenger A, Ament R. Wildlife-vehicle collision reduction study: best practices manual. Report to Congress. U.S. Department of Transportation. 2008a. Huijser M, McGowen P, Fuller J, Hardy A, Kociolek A, Clevenger A, Smith D, Ament R. Wildlife-vehicle collision reduction study: Report to Congress. U.S. Department of Transportation. 2008b. Andrews K, Nanjippa P, Riley S. Roads and ecological infrastructure: concepts and applications for small animals. Wildlife Management and Conservation. The Wildlife Society & Johns Hopkins University Press: Baltimore, Maryland. 2015. Stoilova N, Natchev N. Prevention of Turtle’s Access to the Road: Specifics of the Environmental Impact Assessment Conditions and Measures Issued for the Priority Objects from the National Linear Infrastructure Network in Bulgaria: Acta Zool Bulg. 2017;10:155–160. MoEW nPAF. Ministry of Environment and Water Bulgaria. 2022. https://www.moew.government.bg/bg/national-prioritised-action-framework-npaf-for-natura-2000-bulgaria/ Accessed 20 September 2023. Baxter-Gilbert J, Riley J, Lesbarrères D, Litzgus J. Mitigating reptile road mortality: fence failures compromise ecopassage effectiveness. PLoS ONE, 2015;10(3):e0120537. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0120537 Koynova T, Koleva V, Dragoeva A, Natchev N. Peri-Urban National Parks as Green Spaces for Recreation: A Case Study of Nature Park Shumen Plateau. Int J Soc Ecol Sust Dev. 2019;10(1):46–58. DOI: 10.4018/IJSESD.2019010104 Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 01 Jul, 2024 Reviews received at journal 01 Jul, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 25 Jun, 2024 Reviews received at journal 20 Jun, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Jun, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Jun, 2024 Reviewers invited by journal 20 Jun, 2024 Editor assigned by journal 12 Jun, 2024 Submission checks completed at journal 10 Jun, 2024 First submitted to journal 26 May, 2024 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4480660","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":317594668,"identity":"2016338a-ea57-41cf-904e-325131074a3a","order_by":0,"name":"Nikolay Natchev","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Shumen","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Nikolay","middleName":"","lastName":"Natchev","suffix":""},{"id":317594669,"identity":"505feed3-f96d-4b97-bdf4-3e84ef090061","order_by":1,"name":"Ivan Telenchev","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ivan","middleName":"","lastName":"Telenchev","suffix":""},{"id":317594670,"identity":"4a40c6f2-93aa-4a07-bd06-b8f5671f6d8c","order_by":2,"name":"Nikolay Nedyalkov","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Shumen","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Nikolay","middleName":"","lastName":"Nedyalkov","suffix":""},{"id":317594671,"identity":"0607bbba-0694-4f25-a9bd-736e63f07f8c","order_by":3,"name":"Nikolay Kolev","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Shumen","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Nikolay","middleName":"","lastName":"Kolev","suffix":""},{"id":317594672,"identity":"4b3f8c42-c00c-46d9-94c8-c7c0ac4235b3","order_by":4,"name":"Radoslav Tsvetkov","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Shumen","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Radoslav","middleName":"","lastName":"Tsvetkov","suffix":""},{"id":317594673,"identity":"ab68ea81-3158-4bc1-9ff9-542ba41d750a","order_by":5,"name":"Pavlina Marinova","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Shumen","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Pavlina","middleName":"","lastName":"Marinova","suffix":""},{"id":317594674,"identity":"f9e6b841-4a56-412a-b782-bb733ddf513b","order_by":6,"name":"Teodora Koynova","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAwElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFACNijN3gBiHSCsgQeuhecAyVokEojUYs/AlviYd4dNYv/M588e8zDcsWsgwpbDxrxn0hJn3M4xN+ZheJZMhBb2NmnetsPGDLdz2KR5GA4nE3QYXIv8zePPiNXCdgykRc7gBoMZSIsdYS2H2ZIN57alyRmeyTGTnGPwLIGgFvb2NsMHb9tseOSOH38m8abijj1BLQzMDAxMPHCeAUNiA2E9DAyMP5A4RNgyCkbBKBgFIw0AAOe+NYfcXpL8AAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"University of Shumen","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Teodora","middleName":"","lastName":"Koynova","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-05-26 15:38:27","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4480660/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4480660/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":58989522,"identity":"d88f9db9-68c6-447e-b0f9-f2a837a47d65","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-06-25 04:36:46","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":967569,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eData on the detected European pond turtle (dead and alive) during the long-term monitoring along the section of road E 87 between the south industrial zone and the Kraymorie in Burgas city (SE Bulgaria): green line indicates the route of the transects; blue, indicates sections with low occurrence; red indicates moderate occurrence; yellow indicates high occurrence.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4480660/v1/84d429ae10716557c1cb4ab0.png"},{"id":58988225,"identity":"a7603c55-a648-4e48-8aa8-ecea768cfbd0","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-06-25 04:20:46","extension":"png","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":2445086,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eCharacteristics of the road section of E 87 between the south industrial zone and Kraymorie in Burgas city (SE Bulgaria): a, photograph performed on 13.04.2016; b, photograph performed on 23.06.2020.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4480660/v1/8c3eaffd64366ec62e1516aa.png"},{"id":58988736,"identity":"5b97b52f-1b84-4ce7-94c6-0172a33d493c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-06-25 04:28:46","extension":"png","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":1186618,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eAdult female specimen, detected on the road immediately after being hit by a vehicle. The turtle was still alive, but without perspective to recover.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4480660/v1/dfd77ff730bb3ce27770169f.png"},{"id":58988228,"identity":"2d16490b-d99d-4bc3-9922-20c4c7745cc5","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-06-25 04:20:46","extension":"png","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":915575,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eAdult female specimen, destructed after collision with a vehicle.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage4.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4480660/v1/0a309bc4e394a538049136fc.png"},{"id":58988230,"identity":"a15cf924-7f95-491d-b255-e50dad2c6030","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-06-25 04:20:46","extension":"png","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":1065440,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eAdult female specimen killed after collision with bicycle on the cycle alley: white arrow indicates the dead body of the turtle; black arrow indicates the position of the collision. There were minimal cracks on the carapace of the animal, however, even such injuries can cause death for the turtles.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage5.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4480660/v1/d24fb5ba78d9af0b49697865.png"},{"id":58988738,"identity":"82279c32-57f4-4eec-883c-d5f26d8ce08f","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-06-25 04:28:46","extension":"png","order_by":6,"title":"Figure 6","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":675031,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eCulvert under the road at the southern section of the transect: a, photograph of the construction on 23.09.2018 (dry condition); b, photograph of the entrance of the culvert on 29.04.2019 (maximum water level).\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage6.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4480660/v1/c1ab672d0b873d75af32c804.png"},{"id":58989550,"identity":"a69a3818-542a-400c-b097-3cdd9af97ec8","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-06-25 04:37:03","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":9058302,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4480660/v1/3e1c9658-0502-4af0-93fa-073546908653.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Impact of the traffic on a population of European pond turtles (Emys orbicularis) inhabiting heavily urbanized area at the city of Burgas","fulltext":[{"header":"1. Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eDespite its name, in recent times, the European pond turtle is not endemic to Europe but inhabits also Northern Africa and western Asia [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e]. During the postglacial period in the early Holocene (11700\u0026ndash;9100 years ago), the range of \u003cem\u003eEmys orbicularis\u003c/em\u003e fluctuated in large ranges [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e]. It reached its maximum during the Atlantic period (about 8000 to 6000 BC). when the temperatures in Europe were high and the species thrived in the northern territories in Europe and Asia such as modern days Sweden, Great Brittan, Northern France, Northern Siberia etc. (for an overview see [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e]). Actually, \u003cem\u003eE. orbicularis\u003c/em\u003e was the only chelonian species inhabiting the northern areas of the Western Palaearctic [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e]. According to archaeological findings and climatological modelling, Nekrasova et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e] demonstrated a natural decline in the range of \u003cem\u003eE. orbicularis\u003c/em\u003e in the period of the end of 15th to the 19th century AC. The European pond turtle retrieved from northern Europe and nowadays, the northernmost populations are in the Baltic region [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e]. The species was consumed intensively during the times of the great famine [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e] in northern and central Europe in the 17th century [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e] and was suffering habitat loss due to anthropogenic activities [\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR9\" citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e]. Currently, in some European countries like Austria, Spain, Germany, France, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Switzerland, \u003cem\u003eE. orbicularis\u003c/em\u003e is represented with only a few isolated populations, which are objects of intense monitoring and conservation efforts [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR12 CR13 CR14 CR15 CR16\" citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e]. In Poland there are relatively abundant habitats, however, the structure and number of the populations are not optimal and support from specialists is required [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo date, in the southern and eastern sections of its range, \u003cem\u003eE. orbicularis\u003c/em\u003e formed relatively dense populations [\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR20 CR21 CR22 CR23\" citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e]. However, natural and anthropogenic threats for the European pond turtle, such as habitat deterioration; predation (by dogs, foxes, golden jackals); pressure by invasive species such as the raccoon and the raccoon dog; direct concurrences with allochthon species, like the Red year slider complex (\u003cem\u003eTrachemys scripta\u003c/em\u003e ssp.) and other species were recognized [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR26 CR27\" citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e25\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e]. Isolated cases of mass collection (over 1300) of \u003cem\u003eE. orbicularis\u003c/em\u003e were also recorded (see [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e29\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e30\u003c/span\u003e]). Road mortality is regarded as the key factor for the condition of the populations of semi-aquatic turtles in areas around roads with heavy traffic ([\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR32\" citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e31\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBased on the recognized danger for the European pond turtle\u0026rsquo;s populations, the species is included in international documents and conservation programs: \u003cem\u003eE. orbicularis\u003c/em\u003e is listed in Appendix II (Highly protected animal species) and Annex III (Protected animal species) of the Berne Convention [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e34\u003c/span\u003e]; Annex II (Species of general interest for which have to be declared NATURA 2000 sites) and Annex IV (Highly protected Animal and Plant species of Social interest) of the Council Directive 92/43/EEC [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e35\u003c/span\u003e]; in IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is listed as Near -threatened [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e36\u003c/span\u003e]. In the Bulgarian legislation [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e], \u003cem\u003eE. orbicularis\u003c/em\u003e was included in Annex II (Species for which special NATURA 2000 sites for the protection of their habitat have to be established) and Annex III (Species, which are highly protected on the whole territory of the Republic of Bulgaria).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the present study, we provided data from a long-term monitoring of a road section in the range of Burgas city (SE Bulgaria). We identified hotspots (sensu [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e38\u003c/span\u003e]) and hot moments (see [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e39\u003c/span\u003e]) of increased rates of collision of European pond turtles with vehicles in the range of a protected site from the European network NATURA 2000. We discuss the possible measures to mitigate the impact of the traffic on the local turtle population and provide example designs for the construction of a protection-defragmentation system.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"2. Materials and Methods","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe section of road E 87, which connects the South industrial zone of Burgas to the neighbourhood Kraymorie (see Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e) was an object of six-year monitoring. The monitoring was performed in pairs of experts on a strict transect along the cycle alley beside the traffic lanes (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003ea,\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eb). Each transect started at the entrance of the \u0026ldquo;Poda\u0026rdquo; Nature Conservation Center, took course north, toward the industrial zone and after about 4.8 km the route was walked in the opposite direction. Both experts walked slowly in an attempt not to overlook any objects. We performed the monitoring in irregular intervals from 3 to more than 20 days in the period March to October in the years 2016. For the years after 2016, we concentrated our efforts on active search in the period March\u0026ndash;August, because in all these years after the end of July, the waters retrieve far away from the road infrastructure [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e40\u003c/span\u003e]. In the years 2017 and 2018 we performed only test transects in late August, September and October with no recorded objects. In the year 2021, the investigations were performed only in the spring. For our field surveys, we selected only days with sunny weather and light to moderate wind. We started the transects always in the afternoon and worked for about 4 to 6 hours. During the first half of the transect (in a northern direction), the researchers were concentrated on the investigation of the section beside the cycle alley in the direction opposite to the traffic lanes. In this stripe, we were able to detect dead turtles, but also specimens which were basking or were actively walking. When we turned our course southward, we were concentrated on the asphalt covering the traffic lanes and the cycle alley. During the second part of the route, we were inspecting the field for live turtles and also for dead specimens, or body remnants (carapace/plastron parts, detached extremities and cranio-cervical fragments, pieces of skin, smashed eggs) and all other indicators of turtle\u0026rsquo;s presence in the area. All objects of interest were documented photographically in detail. During the field surveys, we did not remove any carcasses or fragments from dead turtles. We avoided recounting by comparison of previously taken pictures. The only objects we had removed from the asphalt were live turtles. They were repositioned as far as possible within the reed eastern from the cycle alley. The position of all observed objects was recorded by the use of \u0026ldquo;Garmin Etrex 30\u0026rdquo; hand held GPS system (Garmin International Inc., Kansas, USA). The collected field data with the location of the investigated points and tracks were integrated into a GIS environment, ESRI shp. format, using the coordinate system WGS84 (UTM35N). The data processing was performed with the standard tools of ArcGIS10 and the corresponding extensions of the used software.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWe were not able to determine the sex of all killed specimens as often there were only body fragments available [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e41\u003c/span\u003e]. We identified the sex only in specimens where the claws were available, or we were able to investigate the position of the cloaca on the tail [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"3. Results","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe total time of performed work was about 460 hours in 48 days. During this working time, we were able to obtain information on a total of 331 European pond turtles. We found a total of 112 alive specimens of \u003cem\u003eE. orbicularis\u003c/em\u003e from all ontogenetic stag-es (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). The other records were of \u0026ldquo;alive without perspective\u0026rdquo; animals, found in the vicinity of the road (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e), or entirely destroyed animals on the traffic lanes (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e). Three adults and two juvenile specimens were found hit by bicycles at the cycle alley (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e). In Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e we represent the position and concentration of encounters of live and dead turtles along the transect. The biggest percentage of the documented object was within the section in direct vicinity to BG0000271 \u0026ldquo;Mandra-Poda\u0026rdquo;, announced with Designation Order № RD-308/31.03.2021, issued by the Minister of Environment and Water, promulgated in State Gazette no. 48 of 08.06.2021 [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e42\u003c/span\u003e]. One of the main conservation objectives in the Natura 2000 site (point 3.5 of the Designation Order) is to improve the habitats of amphibian and reptile species. According to the Standard Data Form (SDF) of BG0000271 \u0026ldquo;Mandra-Poda\u0026rdquo;, within the boundaries of the site, there are at least 8 localities of the species [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e42\u003c/span\u003e]. The northern section of the transect (outside of the Protected Site) was disproportionately loaded with only accidental findings of turtles (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIf we use the method of [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e39\u003c/span\u003e] and split the season into intervals of two weeks, we detected a hot moment of collision of turtles with vehicles in the four two-week periods during June and July in each of the research years. In the year 2016, we were able to detect plenty of live specimens (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e) \u0026ndash; we made a record of 40 detected animals in a single day in July. After 2016 we were not able to detect more than several live specimens per day. In the years after 2016, the dead animals were always more than the alive specimens per day (a few exceptions are three days in 2017, where no dead animals were recorded and in general 5 live turtles were detected). Our investigation indicated, that the dead turtles were not an object of intense interest from the local predators. Some of the carcasses remained in the same position for several months. We detected several dead turtles to be removed from their initial position several meters, however, this may be a result of the traffic or other human intervention.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eData on the European pond turtles detected during the long-term monitoring along the section of road E 87 between the south industrial zone and Kraymorie in Burgas city (SE Bulgaria).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYear\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAlive\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDead\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2016\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e80\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e40\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e120\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2017\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2018\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e77\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e82\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2019\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e43\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e44\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2020\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e41\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e47\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2021\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConcerning the sex ratio of the detected turtles, we were able to identify 148 females and only 18 males out of 224 adults. For the other detected adult turtles, sex determination was not possible.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe hot spot of observations of alive turtles and dead specimens overlap largely for all of the ontogenetic stages and is concentrated in a section with a length of about 2150 m. along the boundaries of the SAC BG0000271 \u0026ldquo;Mandra-Poda\u0026rdquo; (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"4. Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe European pond turtle is often regarded as a semi-aquatic species because it can travel distances of more than one kilometer on land [\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR44 CR45\" citationid=\"CR43\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e43\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e46\u003c/span\u003e] and is able even to feed outside the water [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR47\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e47\u003c/span\u003e]. Near the town of Preslav (NE-Bulgaria), Stojanov et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e] detected one specimen walking on land at a distance of several kilometers from the nearest water basin. The turtles from the investigated site at E87 were found to migrate on land in all of the transects except in these performed in March (with only one exception where a dead juvenile was detected). However, the most often encounters were performed in June and July. These results are similar to the results reported by Beaudry et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e39\u003c/span\u003e] for Blanding\u0026rsquo;s turtles (\u003cem\u003eEmydoidea blandingii\u003c/em\u003e). The Blanding\u0026rsquo;s turtle has very similar biology to that of the European pond turtle and this period is consistent with the season of egg deposition. In [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e39\u003c/span\u003e], the authors detected increased mortality in both sexes during the hot moments, however, our findings of males are in general rather scarce. It is possible that in contrast to \u003cem\u003eE. blandingii\u003c/em\u003e, the males in \u003cem\u003eE. orbicularis\u003c/em\u003e are less active in their migrations during the beginning of the summer. Despite we were not able to perform a precise comparison (we had not determined the sex of all specimens), our results indicate that the females \u003cem\u003eE. orbicularis\u003c/em\u003e were more often victims of WVC. This is in line with the data reported for some other semi-aquatic turtle species [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e31\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e48\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR49\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e49\u003c/span\u003e]. The turtle populations living around roads with intense traffic are often heavily male-biased, and this may impact the stability of such populations in long term [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e31\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e48\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR50\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e50\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR51\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e51\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDifferent to [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e41\u003c/span\u003e], in our investigation on \u003cem\u003eE. orbicularis\u003c/em\u003e we found dead specimens from all ontogenetic stages. This may be interpreted as an indication of the low noise, vibration and road edge avoidance in the local turtle population (see [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR52\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e52\u003c/span\u003e]). Some turtles inhabiting the vicinity of roads with intensive traffic, develop a tolerance towards stressors related to the passing motor vehicles. The levels of stress hormones in individuals of a population of Painted turtles (\u003cem\u003eChrysemys picta\u003c/em\u003e), living around an important motorway in Canada were comparable to those of the control group of animals living far away from any roads [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR53\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e53\u003c/span\u003e]. The section of road E 87, connecting the Industrial zone of Burgas and Kraymorie was constructed within a site which is optimally suited for \u003cem\u003eE. orbicularis\u003c/em\u003e (see [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR54\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e54\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR55\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e55\u003c/span\u003e]). Some data indicate, that in the past there were also cases of turtles killed on the road [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR55\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e55\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR56\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e56\u003c/span\u003e], but during the fieldwork performed in the range of the project \"Mapping and determining the conservation status of natural habitats and species - phase I\", launched by the Ministry of Environment and Waters in Bulgaria, only live animals were detected [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR55\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e55\u003c/span\u003e]. However, the author assessed the traffic on the existing road \"Burgas-Sozopol\" as causing mortality of \u003cem\u003eE. orbicularis\u003c/em\u003e. Therefore, he gave an \u0026bdquo;unfavourable-poor\u0026rdquo; assessment at the local level according to the indicator \"Mortality due to road traffic\".\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eLater (in 2013\u0026ndash;2014), east and parallel to the traffic lanes of the road section a cycling alley was constructed (see Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003ea,\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eb). The cycle alley was completely finished in 2015 and is still operational. We propose that the cycle alley, as a new element of the road infrastructure, had an impact on the behavior of the local turtles. Before the construction of the cycle alley, the turtles lived in the direct vicinity of the traffic, and after the cycle alley was finished, they received a buffer of about 2 meters between the edge of the asphalt and the traffic lanes. The temperature conditions on the cycle alley and the traffic lanes are presumably identical, however, the substrate changed with the construction of the new asphalt stripe. It is possible that with time, the local turtles adapted to the new conditions in a way to avoid the cycle lane. Our results indicate that the live turtles found on the alley were rather few with exception of the first year of the investigation \u0026ndash; 2016 (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). Populations of \u0026ldquo;small-bodied pond turtles\u0026rdquo; (like \u003cem\u003eE. orbicularis\u003c/em\u003e) seem to be less vulnerable to traffic impact compared to \u0026ldquo;large-bodied pond turtles\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;terrestrial/semiterrestrial/land turtles\u0026rdquo; [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR57\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e57\u003c/span\u003e]. According to [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR58\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e58\u003c/span\u003e], the most important step for the protection of pond turtles is the adequate and on-time management of the populations. Studies in the past demonstrated that even temporary and simple mitigation measures may have a great positive effect on populations which inhabit vicinities of roads with intensive traffic. Aresco [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e31\u003c/span\u003e] constructed a fence system around a section of about 1.2 km on the US Highway 27, which splits a water basin in-habited by various amphibians and reptiles. The author detected the hotspots of mortality and in the year 2000 he fenced the water bodies in the region with drift nets. The effect was immediate and the mortality of the turtle species dropped from 9.7/km/day during the pre-fenced period to 0.08/km/day after the fences were placed. The ingress of turtles to/on the road was neglectable after the fencing (84 out of 8466 turtles reached the road). Concerning the design of constructions, preventing turtles to reach the traffic lanes, different approaches were tested [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e31\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e48\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR59\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e59\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR61 CR62\" citationid=\"CR60\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e60\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR63\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e63\u003c/span\u003e]. According to the results of Aresco [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e31\u003c/span\u003e], even incomplete fencing of particular road sectors is rather effective, especially if it is combined with the possibility for the turtles to cross the road bed by a culverts or other type of underpasses. In the case of the section of E 87, such an underpass is existing in the southernmost section of the transect, however, its construction is only partly suitable as a passing facility for \u003cem\u003eE. orbicularis\u003c/em\u003e. In dry conditions, the culvert has a vertical ledge which cannot be climbed by the turtles (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003ea,\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003eb) - constructional corrections of that underpass are needed. As mentioned before, the existing culvert is in the south, but hot spots of turtle vehicle collisions can be found also further north. In our opinion, at least one additional underpass has to be constructed at km 1.2 to km 1.8 north from the start of the transect (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). The financing of such measures is included in the National Prioritized Action Framework for Natura 2000 of Bulgaria, 2021\u0026ndash;2027 [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR64\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e64\u003c/span\u003e]. This is Measure 68: Improving the conservation status of rep-tile species (incl. \u003cem\u003eE. orbicularis\u003c/em\u003e) by increasing the connectivity of their habitats (building green infrastructure). For SAC BG0000271 \u0026ldquo;Mandra-Poda\u0026rdquo;. Measure 68 prescribes for the road E87 (with coordinates - start N42.45263, E27.44604, end N42.44199, E27.47206) \u0026ldquo;construction of passages, guiding fences, noise- and light-isolating constructions and fence nets\u0026rdquo;. The implementation of Measure 68 is planned to be financed by the European Regional Development Fund, for which the estimated annual value of the measure and a general indicative budge has been set.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAccording to [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR65\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e65\u003c/span\u003e], polymer materials are not suitable for permanent turtle fencing. Stoilova and Natchev [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR63\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e63\u003c/span\u003e] proposed a design based on fencing with coated metal nets, which is in line with the Bulgarian legislation for road construction. In the case of E87 in south Burgas, such construction had several negative aspects. The dense vegetation directly in the vicinity of the asphalt is an important part of the microhabitat. The reeds beside the cycle alley have to be preserved, because they play a crucial role in bird nesting, hiding places for small tetrapods and basking zone for reptiles. In our opinion, the best solution for the section of E87 would be the construction proposed by Dodd et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR59\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e59\u003c/span\u003e]. These authors designed a barrier wall, which they term \u0026ldquo;Type-A fence\u0026rdquo;. Type A fence is a part of a fencing-defragmentation system, which prevents the access of turtles to the road. This fence is a solid construction, build from two guard rails \u0026ldquo;\u0026hellip;with a hardware cloth barrier sunk below ground.\u0026rdquo; At E87, such a double guard rail fence has to be built under the existing road-rail (see Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003ea,\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eb,\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e). The fence will block the access of turtles to the traffic lanes but will allow them to use the asphalt of the cycle lane, for e.g. migration, thermoregulation etc. (see Figs.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003ea,\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eb,\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e). We detected some crashed turtles apparently after collision with a bicycle (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e), however, such encounters were rather rare. The Type A fence will be almost impenetrable for all kinds of small animals, however, it is not high enough to hinder a larger mammal to jump over it in case it enters the traffic lanes. Such construction will also benefit the security of the motorcyclists on road E87 and will not affect in any case the cycle alley as an element of the peri-urban recreation infrastructure [see 66].\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"5. Conclusions","content":"\u003cp\u003eOur monitoring of the population of the European pond turtle along the section of E87 crossing the protected site BG BG0000271 \u0026ldquo;Mandra-Poda\u0026rdquo;, provided valuable data concerning the way the animals are affected by the traffic. We detected a period of a peak in mortality in the late spring and the early summer among the adult specimen, however alive and dead turtles from all ontogenetic stages were sporadically detected in the other seasons. Temporary \u0026ldquo;soft\u0026rdquo; measurements like advertisement companies, implementations of signs and speed limitation during the \u0026ldquo;hot moments\u0026rdquo; may be rather successful if applied properly [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e39\u003c/span\u003e]. In our case, such measures will have only limited effect, because the turtles can be hardly noticed by the drivers. Even the adult turtles are of small size and the color of the body does not contrast with the asphalt (especially in the dark period of the day). The investigated road section is straight (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e), but the lanes are rather narrow (Figs.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003ea,\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eb,\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e) and the traffic in the warm seasons of the year is very intense. Even in the case that drivers are able to detect turtles on the road, there are only limited possibilities for reaction and applying avoiding maneuvers without implications on the traffic safety. We propose the construction of permanent fencing between the traffic lanes and the cycle alley, along the borders of the Protected site. The possibility of additional underpasses on the existing road has to be discussed with designers and in case there are proper methods, an additional culvert must be built.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgments.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eTanja Kumanova and Maria Bakalova are acknowledged for support in photographic documentation and image design.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding:\u003c/strong\u003e The study was partially supported by the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science, Grant No. RD-08-108/30.01.2024.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eData Availability Statement:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eAll original GIS data, as well as photographic materials, can be provided by the authors in case of special interest.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConflicts of Interest:\u003c/strong\u003e The authors declare no conflict of interest.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor Contributions:\u003c/strong\u003e Conceptualization, N.N., I.T., N.N. and T.K.; Methodology, N.N., I.T.; Validation, N.N., I.T., P.M. and T.K.; Investigation, N.N., I.T., N.K., R.T., P.M. and T.K.; Writing \u0026ndash; Original Draft Preparation, N.N., N.N. and T.K.; Writing \u0026ndash; Review \u0026amp; Editing, N.N., I.T., N.N, N.K, R.T, P.M. and T.K.; Visualization, N.N., I.T. 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DOI: 10.4018/IJSESD.2019010104\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-conservation","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Conservation](https://link.springer.com/journal/44353)","snPcode":"44353","submissionUrl":"https://submission.springernature.com/new-submission/44353/3","title":"Discover Conservation","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"road kills, herpeto-fauna, road effects, behavior, vertebrate conservation, mitigation measures","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4480660/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4480660/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eWe report on the impact of vehicle traffic on a local population of European pond turtles (\u003cem\u003eEmys orbicularis\u003c/em\u003e) inhabiting the city of Burgas (Bulgaria). We performed a six-year monitoring program to collect data on the presence of turtles on road E 87 in the south region of the city. The road section splits a Natura 2000 site and crosses through an artificial water basin with fresh to brackish water. We visited the road section in irregular intervals from 3 to over 20 days in the period March to October from 2016 to 2021. For the period of the monitoring, we were able to detect a total of over 300 specimens from all ontogenetic stages (33 juveniles, 74 subadults and 224 adults). During our field surveys in 2016, we detected a total of 47 live and 23 dead adults. In the next years, we found more dead adult turtles than live ones. Similar results were recorded for subadults. In the juveniles, the dead specimens were almost equal to those which were detected alive. Our results indicate an impact of the traffic on the local population of \u003cem\u003eE. orbicularis\u003c/em\u003e. We discuss the design and position of constructions, which can mitigate the conflict and reduce the potential for WVC.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Impact of the traffic on a population of European pond turtles (Emys orbicularis) inhabiting heavily urbanized area at the city of Burgas","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-06-25 04:20:41","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4480660/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2024-07-01T12:23:44+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2024-07-01T09:38:20+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"204311060980379195040811269251097639582","date":"2024-06-25T08:10:35+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2024-06-20T11:34:04+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"163596845456591496495936803781739148453","date":"2024-06-20T10:32:30+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"126476370910178615857152127665003088190","date":"2024-06-20T08:31:45+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2024-06-20T07:41:32+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2024-06-12T05:29:57+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2024-06-10T11:27:21+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Discover Conservation","date":"2024-05-26T15:33:37+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-conservation","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Conservation](https://link.springer.com/journal/44353)","snPcode":"44353","submissionUrl":"https://submission.springernature.com/new-submission/44353/3","title":"Discover Conservation","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"8182c948-ae68-416c-8e8b-dd0fb5373514","owner":[],"postedDate":"June 25th, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2024-07-23T08:39:47+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2024-06-25 04:20:41","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-4480660","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-4480660","identity":"rs-4480660","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}