The Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) an emblematic exotic pets in France.ématique

Tortue de floride

Trachemys scripta elegans http://tortues.floride.u-psud.fr

Trade in turtle (exported from United States ) began in the 1970s. Among these “Florida turtles,” the species was the most represented is the red-eared slider Trachemys scripta elegans.

Raised in good conditions, this new exotic pet (NAC), grew up and can become troublesome for some families of owners (adult turtle can measure up to 28 cm and weigh up to 3 kg and long life such as several decades). A number of owners then decided to “get rid” of their turtle and releasing them into the wild. People often have released their turtle thinking them free, feeling concerned about his welfare. So this is a case is particular in the context of invasive species because this species was actively introduced by the owners and the public have an emotional connection with these turtles.

It is in this context that the program “Red-eared Slider” was initiated in the laboratory “Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution” (http://tortues.floride.u-psud.fr/).

A Multi-Agent Systems, or MAS, has been designed like an aid to reflection to bring a new point of view to the manager of this socio-ecological problems.

It shows that direct actions have only few short-term effects on the abundance of wild turtles in green spaces and have no effect on the level of public concern about environmental issues. It also show that a mixture of different communication strategies improved the awareness and attitudes towards issues related to introduced species (Teillac-Deschamps et al., 2010).