The importance of protected and unprotected areas for the Mediterranean spur-thighed tortoise demography in Northwest Morocco: supplementary material

Collection
for the pet trade has been considered
one of the major threats to the Mediterranean spur-thighed tortoise Testudo
graeca, since
it modulates the size and structure of the species’ populations and, therefore,
their demography. Maamora
forest is one of the most suitable habitats for this species. The proximity of
the forest to Rabat indicated the possibility of these tortoise populations
being particularly sensitive to over-collecting. Population demography was
studied in four populations, in protected
and unprotected areas in Maamora forest. The results showed significant
differences as regards population size and structure between protected and
unprotected areas. They specifically highlighted: i) higher density (23-17
indiv·ha-1) balanced populations in the protected areas, in which
young adults were predominant, ii) a higher body condition in the protected
areas, especially the females, and iii) a low density (5.5 ind·ha-1)
more unbalance population in the unprotected areas, in which older females and
younger males were predominant. In addition, a survey carried out by
interviewing local adults (n = 200) showed that most people owned tortoises
(61%, n = 200), mainly juveniles (65%, n = 123). The respondents stated that
their tortoises had been captured in the forest (68%, n = 123). Maamora forest
is home to one of the highest density populations of Mediterranean spur-thighed
tortoises documented to date, and its conservation is essential if this species
is to be maintained. Our social survey suggested that one of the
challenges is to change the social perception of the Mediterranean spur-thighed
tortoise as a pet and highlight its intrinsic ecological value.

该数据集收集了针对宠物贸易对地中海陆龟（Testudo graeca）构成的威胁的研究资料。该贸易活动调节了该物种种群的大小与结构，从而影响了其人口统计学特征。Maamora 森林是该物种最适宜的栖息地之一。由于森林与拉巴特市相邻，因此这些龟群可能特别容易受到过度采集的影响。研究人员在 Maamora 森林的保护区和非保护区对四个种群进行了人口统计学研究。结果显示，保护区与非保护区的种群数量和结构存在显著差异。具体而言：一、保护区内的种群密度（23-17个体·公顷-1）较高，且种群结构平衡，其中以青年个体为主；二、保护区内的个体健康状况较好，尤其是雌性个体；三、非保护区内的种群密度（5.5个体·公顷-1）较低，且种群结构不平衡，以老年雌性和年轻雄性为主。此外，通过对当地成年人（n = 200）的访谈进行的调查表明，大多数受访者（61%，n = 200）拥有陆龟，其中主要是幼龟（65%，n = 123）。受访者表示，他们的陆龟是在森林中捕获的（68%，n = 123）。Maamora 森林是迄今为止记录到的地中海陆龟种群密度最高的地区之一，若要维持该物种的存续，其保护至关重要。我们的社会调查表明，改变社会对地中海陆龟作为宠物的认知，并强调其固有的生态价值，是所面临的一项挑战。