A PhD candidate is undertaking a project which will provide important information about turtles

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Flaviemys purvisi

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November 20, 2018
Emma Zirkel


Murray Bridge’s wetlands are playing a critical role in providing important information about turtles and their habitats.

Natural Resources SAMDB wetlands project officer Courtney Monk said turtles begin nesting after November rains.

“The three species of River Murray turtles (long, short neck, broad shell) are considered under threat with research showing that the population declined significantly during the millennium drought and numbers of mature breeding animals remain low,” Ms Monk said.
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TURTLE: University of Sydney PhD candidate Claudia Santori is undertaking a turtle project in Murray Bridge that will provide important information. Photo: Supplied.


Among those who are looking into local turtle populations is Claudia Santori, a PhD candidate in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Sydney. Ms Santori’s project will provide important information about turtles and their habitats.

Ms Santori said turtles used to be very abundant, but in the past few decades they have been declining significantly along the river, with decreases observed to be up to 91 per cent depending on the species.

“Threats to the turtles include European foxes digging up and eating their eggs, road mortality and habitat loss among others,” she said.

“Researchers from various universities are thinking of ways to reverse the current decline, such as rearing juvenile turtles and captivity (called headstarting) on a large scale.

“This will allow the eggs to develop protected from foxes, and the hatchlings to grow avoiding the high levels of predation that naturally occur to them in the first few months of their lives.”

Ms Monk said that there were other causes that had contributed to turtle decline – deaths in fish traps, from hook and line fishing, habitat changes and water salinity have all put pressure on turtle population levels.

“Everyone can join in monitoring by keeping a lookout near water for any turtle signs such as nests, eggs, live or dead turtles,” she said.

“SAMDB residents and visitors can participate by downloading the TurtleSAT app, and having their phones at the ready for a photo opportunity to record any sightings of turtles or their nests.

“The app collects a range of data about turtles such as date, location, species as well as the opportunity to submit a photo with your recorded sighting.”

 
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