From 2019-2022, FAME’s support of the Mary River Turtle helped establish important conservation methods to protect one of Australia’s most unusual and threatened freshwater turtles. Today, that work continues to grow through the efforts of our partners on the Mary River.
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Nest protection remains a key part of the program. During the most recent nesting season, Tiaro Landcare has protected 55 turtle nests, helping safeguard eggs from predators and giving hatchlings a better chance of survival. Over the past two years the program has expanded beyond the original project reach, with Tiaro Landcare providing training through the Mary River Catchment Committee so nest protection can be carried out along additional sections of the river. The team has also made further refinements to the transportable predator-proof cage first developed as part of the FAME project.
The conservation techniques developed during the FAME project are also continuing to support new research. After the Mary River experienced three major floods in 2022, there were concerns about possible impacts on threatened species, including the Mary River turtle. Tiaro Landcare partnered with Charles Darwin University to investigate the effects on the turtle population, reusing equipment and building on the methods developed during the FAME project, including raising juvenile turtles in captivity, tagging them and tracking them after release.
Encouragingly, the study found no significant impact from the floods on the turtle population in the Tiaro reach of the river. However, the research highlighted an important challenge: instream predation, which appears to be a significant threat to young turtles. Finding ways to address this threat is now a major focus for the conservation team.
The project’s influence is also being shared more widely. Members of Tiaro Landcare have presented their work at the national “1 Million Turtles” freshwater turtle conferences, which bring together community groups, students and researchers from across Australia. They plan to attend again this year, when the conference will be held in Adelaide in September, to present the latest update on the Mary River turtle conservation program.
Thanks to the foundations laid by the original FAME project and the continued dedication of local conservation groups, efforts to protect the Mary River turtle are still going strong.
Revisit the the Mary River Turtle Project
Photos:
1. One of a cohort of turtles head-started, tagged and released into the river.
2. Pulling up an underwater acoustic device (funded by FAME) to download detections recorded to monitor the movements of the tagged turtles and tagged predatory fish species.
3. Nest protection activities along the river. (Courtesy Tiaro Landcare).
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