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Deteriorating water quality has been identified as a main threat to turtle habitat. Inadequate downstream flows affecting levels of salinity, nutrients and sediment, are likely to:
¨ Adversely affect the habitat critical to turtle survival; ¨ Modify, destroy, remove, isolate or decrease the availability or quality of habitat to the extent that turtle populations are likely to decline; ¨ Disrupt their breeding cycle; ¨ Lead to the introduction of invasive species that are harmful to and interfere with the recovery of the species
MORE INFORMATION ON MARINE TURTLES OF THE GREAT SANDY COMING SOON!
Return to Threatened Flora & Fauna
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Impacts on Marine Turtle Species |
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The endangered Loggerhead: swimming (top); nesting (above). |
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PROPOSED MARY RIVER DAM
IMPACTS ON THE GREAT SANDY
ABOUT THE GREAT SANDY |
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ourgreatsandy.com Celebrating and Defending the Great Sandy Strait
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Help Save Fraser Island’s Unique Marine Environment! |
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There are five marine turtles known to either breed or inhabit the Sandy Strait Marine area.
¨ Caretta caretta (Loggerhead) ENDANGERED ¨ Chelona mydas (Green) VULNERABLE ¨ Derochelys coriacea (Leatherback) VULNERABLE ¨ Eretmochelys imbricata (Hawksbill) VULNERABLE ¨ Natator depressus (Flatback) VULNERABLE
Some of these species consider the area home, while others travel thousands of kilometres to nest here each year. Certain areas are especially important for turtle courtship and mating.
Environment Australia’s Marine Turtle Recovery Plan has identified five different habitat types used by marine turtles at different stages of their lives. These are:
¨ The natal beach ¨ Mating areas ¨ Inter-nesting habitat ¨ Feeding areas, and ¨ Pelagic waters |
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Website created by Elisabeth Berry for 2Berries Communications. Copyright © 2008 ourgreatsandy.com. All rights reserved. |