Third Year of the Project and Consortium Meeting in Dubrovnik
LIFE for Mauremys has entered its fourth and final year of implementation, and the partners gathered for a consortium meeting held from October 27 to 29, 2025, at the Entrepreneurship Center of Dubrovnik-Neretva County.
Over the past year, as we approach the end of 2025, the project can proudly report the following achievements:
- Three editions of the agricultural seminar “Eco-Innovations for Small Agricultural Areas” were held for small-scale producers in Dubrovnik-Neretva County – the first one in person at the House of honey in Majkovi, the second one online due to high interest, and the third as part of the Mediterranean Freshwater Week in Konavle.
- We participated in the international LIFE Amphicon project conference and exchanged experiences with colleagues from Slovenia.
- In the areas of Majkovi, Prljevići, Konavle, and Ston, we installed 7 information boards about protected areas, 10 “Watch out for Turtles” signs, 3 interpretive panels, 3 boards with behavioral rules in protected areas, and 4 warning signs prohibiting the release of invasive alien species.
- We organized volunteer actions to clean Balkan Terrapin habitats.
- We educated ourselves on ecosystem services – knowledge that is crucial to ensure the long-term sustainability of conservation measures and to connect nature protection with local community interests.
- The picture book “MAUREMISI: Raising Our Voice for Turtle Rescue!” was promoted in schools throughout Dalmatia and at the Zagreb City Zoo.
- The educational traveling exhibition, accompanied by the workshop “The Story of the Balkan Terrapin”, visited many primary schools in Dubrovnik-Neretva County.
- Partners met with the Advisory Council, which brings together experts from different sectors crucial for the successful implementation of project activities.
- Knowledge and experience on habitat restoration were exchanged at the final conference of the Still Water Revival project.
- We continuously invite residents of Majkovi, Ston, and Konavle to report sightings of Balkan Terrapins, invasive alien species, and other species associated with Mediterranean wet habitats, thus participating in our Pond Keeper Program.
- We opened an educational and breeding center for the Balkan Terrapin at the Zagreb City Zoo, which will educate visitors for years about this secretive reptile from southern Dalmatia and serve as a breeding program base to strengthen the species’ population in Croatia.
- We reported live from the field to showcase our monitoring activities
- New basking sites have been established in Balkan Terrapin habitats – this improvement complements habitat restoration, cleaning actions, the construction of under-road tunnels as safe ecological corridors, and the installation of signs guiding visitors on appropriate behavior in these valuable locations.
- We participated in two major scientific events, presenting the project and its results, such as “turtle-friendly” fishing traps that reduce bycatch of protected freshwater turtle species.
- Telemetry tracking was initiated on 16 individuals – understanding how the Balkan Terrapin uses freshwater habitats and surrounding agricultural areas is crucial.
- The third Balkan Terrapin Day was successfully held at the Zagreb City Zoo, where visitors were introduced in a creative and engaging way to the unique features of Croatian shelled reptiles and the conservation status of the Balkan Terrapin.
- With a rich three-day program, the second Mediterranean Freshwater Week was held in Konavle in collaboration with Agroturizam Konavle – a local association of agricultural producers.
- With the help of local citizen reports, we continuously work on removing red-eared sliders from natural habitats.
- The development of sustainable practices continues through scientifically validated industrial design of “turtle-friendly” fishing traps, already donated to LAGUR “Malo Misto”, and other organizations and institutions interested in using these traps are invited to contact us.
- The first animated film about the Balkan Terrapin, “Mara – Life for New Generations”, produced by Šipan Film School, premiered and was screened at the Dubrovnik Film Festival.
- Construction of a refugium pond in the Ston Field was completed, which will become a home for juveniles from the breeding program.
- In cooperation with the Interreg HU-SK project “Cross-Border Initiatives for the Conservation of the European Pond Turtle”, we organized a three-day professional field visit of colleagues from Hungary and Slovakia to project sites important for the conservation of the Balkan Terrapin in Dubrovnik-Neretva County. During the visit, a volunteer action was organized and we manualy cleaned 120 meters of canals in Konavosko Polje.
Our activities were covered and discussed in various media, including:
Eko vjesnik: Announcement of the agricultural seminar “Eco-Innovations for Small Production Areas”
Index: Breeding program at the Zagreb Zoo
Dubrovnik Insider: Promotion of the picture book
Sesvete-danas: Opening of the educational and breeding center for the Balkan Terrapin
Jutarnji: Announcement of Balkan Terrapin Day
Dubrovački dnevnik: Announcement of Mediterranean Freshwater Freshwater Week
Južni: Removal of red-eared sliders
During the meeting, partners discussed the details of implementing all activities until the end of the project and confirmed their joint commitment to the objectives and the conservation of Balkan Terrapin habitats. In addition to agreeing on the final steps, they began planning activities that will continue to contribute to the conservation of freshwater turtles in the Mediterranean region even after the project’s completion.
