New Funding Secured For Turtle Protection

Cape York NRM has secured funds to upskill Western Cape Turtle Threat Abatement Alliance (WCTTAA) rangers in feral animal control over the next two years.

A partnership of six Indigenous Land and Sea Ranger groups from the Northern Peninsula Area to Kowanyama, the WCTTAA work together to protect endangered turtle species along eight beaches, covering about 220km of coastline.

Thousands of pigs are removed annually from these key coastal areas, making feral pigs the rangers’ biggest challenge.

Cape York NRM’s WCTTAA Coordinator Dr Manuela Fischer said the new funding would be used to deliver predator control methods on Country. 

“The contract is signed,” she said.

“The first part of the training will be using firearms to humanely destroy animals and mentored ground-based control of feral animals, which all the rangers will do.

“From there they will go onto the use of firearms for pest control activities from an aircraft, which includes actually conducting an aerial shoot in 2025. 

“Rangers from each of the six WCTTAA groups will have this opportunity to work with trainers Shawn Seymour and Mark Lane.”

She said the funding from the Department of Environment, Science & Innovation potentially left room for some additional training, including ongoing aluminium welding (for making turtle nest protection cages), the use of foothold traps, or other training in feral animal control skills.

Pormpuraaw Ranger Coordinator Clinton Williams said it was a great opportunity.

“It means each group can build their capacity, especially within the culling section,” he said.

“You can build a lot of Rangers’ capacity in that area, get them qualified and get them doing their own shooting on their own land.

“For all the Indigenous rangers individually, this is helping them grow within the program and do bigger and better things.”

The WCTTAA is supported by Cape York NRM through funding from the Australian and Queensland Government’s Nest to Ocean Turtle Protection Program, the Marine Turtle Climate Change Resilience and Nest Protection Program and the Queensland Feral Pest Initiative.