Cape York Peninsula is a dream destination, the ultimate road-trip, for people who love four-wheel-driving, fishing and camping. Visitor numbers increase every year, and most take good care of the place. But a small minority are causing problems for other visitors, the region and its people.
Turtles
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A collection of resources for the Western Cape Turtle Threat Abatement Alliance
With the support of Cape York NRM, the Western Cape Turtle Threat Abatement Alliance, a collective of five western Cape Indigenous Ranger groups, spent the 2019 nesting season (June – September) monitoring seven beaches, managing feral pig numbers and installing turtle nest cages to protect eggs and hatchlings.
WCTTAA’s end of season meeting for 2019 was held in Cairns in December with special guest Threatened Species Commissioner Dr Sally Box in attendance.
Securing funding is paramount to ensure the continuation of Rangers’ vital work past 2020
This year marks three decades of marine turtle monitoring in the far northern Great Barrier Reef by the Department of Environment and Science.
As the year winds down, planning ramps up for WCTTAA’s end of year Forum which will focus on reviewing the outcomes of the 2019 turtle season and contemplating the year ahead.
Sea turtles are beginning to arrive on western Cape York Peninsula beaches to lay their eggs.
It’s been a busy time since the last edition of the Cape York Healthy Country Newsletter. The relaxed COVID- 19 travel restrictions and dry season weather has meant that we’ve been busy out on ground making up for lost time in delivery of projects. We’re continuing to respond to the challenges that COVID-19 has created, and with extra safety in place we’ve managed to get projects underway. Although it’s only September, it feels like the race to the end of the year has begun.
Welcome to our first newsletter for 2021. Some people will be glad to see the back of 2020, but there were many good things to come out of the previous 12 months. During 2020 Cape York NRM was able to restructure its operations and program support so that we are able to deliver the best on ground projects possible and we have an incredibly busy year planned for 2021. We welcome four new staff to the team and the Cooktown office is now bursting at the seams.
Despite its record of success, WCTTAA funding is due to cease in June 2020.
‘It is not overstating it to say WCTTAA is the only thing standing between olive ridley turtles and localised extinction on the western Cape,’ Kerri said.
‘If businesses would like to provide support for the program to continue, please contact WCTTAA on kerri.woodcock@capeyorknrm.com.au
WCTTAA is supported by Cape York NRM and is funded by the Nest to Ocean Turtle Protection Program, a joint initiative of the Australian and Queensland Governments
The North Queensland Threatened Species Symposium will be held on 16-17 February 2021 at the Cairns Colonial Club.
The objective of the Symposium is to increase knowledge exchange and collaboration between organisations and individuals working to conserve threatened species and ecological communities in Northern Queensland.
The symposium will include presentations from the Threatened Species Recovery Hub researchers, and will include workshops focussing on threatening processes that impact the threatened species in our region.
Ongoing efforts to protect marine turtles on western Cape York Peninsula will be boosted with the assistance of a grant to Cape York NRM from the Gambling Community Benefit Fund.
Funds will be used to purchase sand temperature loggers and nest protection cages.
Two of the major threats to nesting marine turtles on the Cape are nest predation by feral pigs, and an increase in sand temperature as a result of climate change.