Turtle conservation in the Great Barrier Reef still making tracks, 45 years on

Led by Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and the Reef Authority, the Reef Joint Field Management Program has supported the Capricorn Bunker Group turtle research program for 45 years.

Turtle rookeries throughout the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area provide crucial information for researchers to monitor population trends during each breeding season.

To protect such vital habitat, the surrounding waters on this incredible island are classified as a Marine Park Preservation (pink)  Zone. Any research in the area needs to be directly related to management and conservation of a particular species or habitat.

The highly trained team also conduct their research under animal ethics approval, ensuring their approach and methods have the least disruption possible on the vulnerable creatures they’re working with.

This particular team of 4 has a collective 17 years of turtle research experience.

They have also all conducted post-graduate research and volunteered as research assistants at places like Mon Repos turtle rookery. But turtles aren’t all these intrepid researchers need to know about.

Camping on a remote coastal island requires significant planning and preparation.

The team need to be self-sufficient and bring all equipment and supplies for their stay. This also includes making sure their visit has minimal impact as well as thoroughly checking and cleaning everything they take as part of being pest-free to minimise the risk of introducing pests. These unwelcome ‘hitchhikers’ can disrupt and threaten these fragile island ecosystems.

Once on the island, each turtle research volunteer is equipped with a headlamp, measuring tape, turtle tagging equipment, clipboard, and pen.

Every turtle that comes on land is recorded, measured and tagged. The titanium flipper tags used can last decades, which is crucial when some turtle species can reach almost 100 years old.

Throughout the 2 weeks, 600 tags were deployed on green, loggerhead and hawksbill turtles. With clutches of over 100 eggs per turtle, that’s a whole lot of little flippers ready to bust out of their shells just 60 days later.

It’s with the help of dedicated preservation zones, and avid researchers, that we can hope to see another shell-mazing 45 years of turtle research.

For more information:

• Report any marine wildlife stranding by calling 1300 130 372 (Press option 1)
• Or through the QWildlife App available on iOS or Android
• If you would like to know more information about how to be part of the turtle research program team, contact turtle.volunteers@des.qld.gov.au