Yes this is in Catalunya, in Girona province (North eastern Spain).
I will try to explain some interesting things that I have heard. If something is a nonsense or there a mistakes, please, correct me.
Mainland populations in Catalunya are highly endangered. Their density is lower than in southern France and much lower than in Menorca. Like in Almeria they concentrate in some areas.With such a low density, a summer fire or the collection of a single female can have a great impact. Regarding this last thing, there is no need to be an illegal collector that smuggles a huge quantity of animals to harm their populations. The collection of a single female can do that. In low density populations, this harm is even higher.
The populations in southern France are better, and in Menorca, they think they are increasing. It is curious, because the origin of the massive importations some decades ago, was Menorca. They not only recuperated but, somehow, in spite of tourism, urbanisations, etc, the populations are in one of their best moments of the last decades. The lack of many predators that the Girona populations have to lead with, might be part of the explanation (more than the 50% of the nests are predated).
Regarding the habitat, as Andy said, it is very different to the graeca´s habitat. Graeca´s habitat looks more like a steppe, while Hermannis habitat in Girona is more a scrubland. There are big trees: Pine trees and Quercus suber, the oak with whose bark they make the wine bottle corks; but the bush forest is the one that predominates . Walking in that habitat is not always a nice experience. The bramble that we find here is rubus ulmifolius, but there is also plenty of argelaga (calicotome spinosa) and gatosa (ulex parviflorus), also very spiny. You need to wear thick jeans to walk in that place, not bermuda shorts, never mind the heat.
There are the typical edible plants often mentioned in this forum , but the tortoises are also known to eat clematis and papavers rhoeas, mentioned as poisonous in some lists.
What they don´t touch are the very spread eupohorbias
Local people have told me some observations. These spring days the tortoises are active until midday, later if it is not a sunny day and also in late afternoon. Now there is food everywhere and they are spread in their territory.
In the summer months , there is only some activity at dawn. Then, local people have seen them cross a road. As soon as the sun rises, they disappear. Then most food is dry and they tend to concentrate in more covered places where there is some shade and still green food (e.g. near a stream)
Some more pictures:
The tortoise in the third picture was found in a grassy place. In fact, it was following the path she made that I found her
These picture is of an abandoned field, but yellow flowers appear in many places. Maybe this is why this colous is said to attract them?
Jordi
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? I have done some field work in the upper Ebro valley and the Paramos.