Crocodiles

• The primary crocodile habitats are estuarine and coastal river systems outside of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. However, crocodiles do occur within the Marine Park when moving between these coastal habitats.
• Crocodiles were protected in 1974 but surveys show that crocodile populations have only marginally increased since that time.
• Pressures such as coastal development and the loss of coastal habitats are thought to limit the growth of crocodile populations.
• Crocodiles are not considered in great detail in this report as they occur largely outside the boundaries of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

Marine Turtles

• The Great Barrier Reef contains six of the world's seven species of marine turtles. One of these, the flatback turtle, nests only on Australian beaches.
• Marine turtles live for a long time and reproduce slowly, making them vulnerable to human pressures.
• All six species of marine turtle are threatened by a variety of human activities and are protected by Commonwealth and State Government legislation.
• Of the species for which population trends are known, the loggerhead has exhibited significant declines since 1977 and the green and hawksbill show indications of decline.
• Significant pressures on marine turtles within the Great Barrier Reef include bycatch in commercial fishing gear, traditional hunting, illegal take, ingestion of and entanglement in marine debris, and boat strike.
• Climate change will have both direct and indirect effects on marine turtle populations.
• Management efforts have been focused on the protection of nesting and foraging sites through National Parks, and the rezoning of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, on the development of methods to reduce mortality in trawl fisheries and shark control programs and on the continuation of status monitoring.
• Under the new Zoning Plan, traditional hunting of marine turtles will be managed in collaboration with Traditional Owners and other agencies. Turtle harvesting will be managed through permits or Traditional Use of Marine Resource Agreements developed by the Traditional Owners and accredited by the GBRMPA.
• Continued research and monitoring is being undertaken to inform management strategies. 
• Best environmental practices have been developed and Marine Park users are being educated about how to minimise the impacts of their activities. This includes educating boaters about how to minimise their impacts on marine animals such as turtles.

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