Management Concern: High    

Adequacy of Information: Moderate

Summary extracts from Outlook Report 2009

• Five of the six species of marine turtle on the Great Barrier Reef have declined; the loggerhead, flatback and green turtle nesting populations appear to have stabilised or are now increasing.
• Current cumulative pressures on marine turtles in the Great Barrier Reef include incidental capture in some fishing gear, boat strike, ingestion and entanglement in marine debris, illegal hunting, unsustainable traditional hunting, coastal development impacting nesting beaches and hatching success, and disease. Future loss of habitat for nesting sites from predicted sea level rise poses an extreme risk to nesting species.

What do we know?

Relevant pages from Outlook Online include:

• Vulnerability of marine reptiles in the Great Barrier Reef to climate change
  
• Sea level rise
  
• Marine wildlife and mortality stranding database annual report 2003: marine turtles (published in 2008)  [1.5 Mb] 
  
• The southern oscillation regulates annual numbers of green turtles [235Kb]
  
• Population modelling of green turtle populations in the Great Barrier Reef region
  
• Population status of green turtles in the Northern Great Barrier Reef stock - Raine Island report 2003
  
• Population declines for green turtles nesting in the northern Great Barrier Reef
  
• Population of flatback turtles in the Great Barrier Reef
  
• Population decline of hawksbill turtles within the Great Barrier Reef
  
• Recovery of loggerhead turtles in Queensland
  
• Biological review of Australian marine turtle species. 1. Loggerhead turtle
  
• The use of internesting habitat off Mon Repos by Loggerhead turtles
  
• Leatherback turtle populations in the Great Barrier Reef region 
  
• Gazettal of Woongara Marine Park 1991
  
• Management arrangements for Raine Island restrict access to the island and surrounding waters
  
• Population status of Green turtles in the southern Great Barrier Reef stock
• Flatback turtles in the Great Barrier Reef
• Status of Hawksbill turtles in the Great Barrier Reef
• Population status of Loggerhead turtles in the Great Barrier Reef
• Recovery of Green turtles in the Great Barrier Reef region

Existing policies and management actions

• Site specific management - Raine Island, Moulter Cay and MacLennan Cay
• Conservation status of marine turtles in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area
  
• Marine turtles in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area
  
• Australian Government policy on climate change 
• Queensland Government climate change policies and strategies 
• Climate Change Action Plan 2007-2012
• Traditional Use of Marine Resources Agreements
  

Future management requirements

• Biodiversity strategy

Defined research questions

• What impact is climate change having – and will have – on Great Barrier Reef reptiles, especially turtles, and to what extent can marine reptiles exhibit adaptive responses to climate change?
  
• What is the sensitivity of key habitats used by turtles and crocodiles to climate events, and which areas can be used as functional habitats under predicted climate change impacts?
  
• What is the adaptation potential of marine reptiles to the predicted impacts of climate change?

Related information

• Current Research and Monitoring