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Home HERMANN’S TORTOISE THREATS Direct destruction of individuals Adverse agriculture and forestry practices
TORTOISE WHO ARE YOU?History and originsDistributionMorphologyHabitatsLifestyleA PROTECTED SPECIESProtection status, rules and regulationsTrade and detentionTHREATSHabitat destruction and degradationDirect destruction of individualsTaking in the wild, captivity and releasing captive-bred individualsCONSERVATIONConservation effortsStatus and trends of populations

Adverse agriculture and forestry practices

 

The mechanisation of forestry operations (namely the clearance operations for the prevention of forest fires) and agricultural operations (mowing and flailing of grazing plots) result in high
mortality for the species. Clearance operations for preventing forest fires (firebreaks, maintenance of road verges and of areas around residential housing) often result in making the habitat temporarily suitable for the tortoises by providing open areas; this makes it attractive to individuals close to the cleared area.
However, they then become vulnerable each time the machines are used.

 


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Loss of individuals due to forest clearance and agricultural machinery

 

As a rule, accidents caused by clearance machinery represent more than 1/3 of cases of wild tortoises seen by vets. Yet forestry operations also contribute to the protection of the species by limiting the spread of fires.

It is therefore a matter of maintaining these operations whilst mitigating their impact in the species conservation priority zones.