The Queensland Government is celebrating the success of its Raine Island Recovery Project, which saw thousands of turtles counted, rescued, tagged, relocated and hatched on the island as part of a collaboration with the Federal Government and Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA).
The project, which was completed in December last year, documented almost 20,000 turtles gathering in the ocean and almost 4,000 turtles coming onto the island at night to lay eggs.
Raine Island is the world’s largest green turtle rookery and is the source of almost 90% of the northern Great Barrier Reef green turtle population.
Funding for the project first began back in 2015, starting with expeditions to re-shape the island and reduce nesting risks.
Minister for the Environment Andrew Powell said while small, Raine Island was vital for the survival of many species.
“I’ve been so proud to step back into this program that started back when I was the Environment Minister in 2015,” Minister Powell said.
“Our work here has really paid off, as we’ve seen the species grow in number by an estimated 640,000 over the years.”
Federal Minister for the Environment and Water, Murray Watt said green turtles faced enormous pressures from climate change and projects like this were critical in giving them a fighting chance.
“Warming temperatures mean that without intervention species like the green turtle, one of 110 priority species under the Albanese Government’s Threatened Species Action Plan, are at heightened risk of extinction,” Minister Watt said.
“By working closely with the Queensland Government, Traditional Owners, scientists and industry, we’re tackling these challenges head-on to protect this iconic species around the Great Barrier Reef for generations to come.”
Chair of Wuthathi Aboriginal Corporation, Keron Murray said another great achievement was that an additional 50 clutches have been relocated from Raine Island to the shade structure on Sir Charles Hardy (Wuthathi National Park), as part of the Project Egg Relocation Program.
“That makes 100 clutches to have been relocated to the shade structure, and we’re using temperature logging devices to see if shade cloth can cool incubation temperatures to help produce more male hatchlings,” Mr Murray said.
The $3.5 million Raine Island Recovery Project is funded through the Commonwealth Government’s Saving Native Species program.
For more information, visit https://parks.qld.gov.au/raineisland.
