Réintroduire une espèce oubliée sur un territoire délaissé du public : le cas de la cistude d’Europe en Alsace (nord-est de la France)

Reintroducing a forgotten species in an area neglected by the public: the case of the European pond turtle in Alsace (northeastern France)

¹ Ethnobiologie, Naturum Études, Tours, France
² Écologie globale, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, UMR IPHC, Strasbourg, France

^* Auteur correspondant : naturumetudes@gmail.com

Reçu : 5 Août 2020
Accepté : 14 Avril 2022

Résumé

En 2013, la réintroduction de la cistude d’Europe Emys orbicularis en Alsace a débuté sur le site restauré du Woerr (Lauterbourg). Des enquêtes ethnographiques et des sondages de rue menés en 2017 auprès de 143 informateurs montrent que cette tortue d’eau douce est méconnue localement et que la décision de son retour repose essentiellement sur une idéologie naturaliste confidentielle et sur l’image sympathique véhiculée par la tortue en général. La polémique sur l’indigénat de l’espèce cistude révèle des débats plus profonds. Le choix du site, peu fréquenté, est surtout lié à ses atouts écologiques et à une opportunité administrative. Les relations entre les riverains et ce territoire, emprunts de malaise et de crainte, freinent l’appropriation des actions. Cependant, le devenir du Woerr satisfait beaucoup d’informateurs, autant pour l’aventure humaine que pour la perspective naturaliste.

Abstract

In 2013, the European pond turtle Emys orbicularis was first reintroduced in the Alsacian restored site of the Woerr (Lauterbourg). Knowledge and perceptions about this species and the place of its releases were assessed by surveys involving a sample of 143 informers, including 40 stakeholders/observers concerned by, or potentially interested in the topic. The study shows that this freshwater turtle is unknown locally. The decision to reintroduce it in northeastern France was essentially based on the ideology of a naturalist whose administrative responsabilities facilitated the implementation of this project in the favorable protectionist context of the time. The generally likeable image of the turtle makes it a symbol of wetland restoration and an emissary for remedial actions towards nature. A controversy over its indigenous status reveals a deeper debate about its reintroduction, such as the opportunity of monopolizing efforts and resources towards an already extinct species to the detriment of other vulnerable species at sites that do not benefit from specific protection. The Woerr site was selected because of its low human frequentation, its ecological assets as well as an administrative opportunity. Relations between residents and wetlands which now benefit from measures to protect nature in the core area, and irritating security measures at its periphery due to the presence of an industrial site, are marked by unease and fear, which slow down the appropriation of conservation actions. However, the ecological future of the Woerr satisfied many informants, as much for the human adventure it generated as for its naturalistic perspectives.