Hatchlings of endangered sea turtles along the Woongarra coast will have a better chance of survival after a turtle nesting cage is installed at Burnett Heads.
Bundaberg Regional Council has partnered with the Sea Turtle Alliance, the Lighthouse Hotel Burnett Heads community is running raffles and local volunteers to help conserve the area’s sea turtles.
sea turtle alliance Committee member and turtle volunteer Carly Sugars said the cage would help protect the nests from predators and environmental factors such as heat from the sun.
“The Council, with the help of Ecosystem Conservation and Management interns from Impact Community Services, recently installed a turtle nesting cage at Burnett Heads to help protect loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings,” Carly said. .
“The cage was funded by community raffle donations from the Lighthouse Hotel, Sea Turtle Alliance and Council.”
Carly said shade cloths would be added to the top of the cage before the nesting season begins, which would help regulate the temperature of the nest.
“In recent years, hatchling success has been affected by high sand temperatures, resulting in hatchlings dying before emergence,” she said.
“The cage was designed with input from sea turtle specialist Dr Col Limpus of the Department of Environment and Science, and will also work to prevent nest predation by foxes and dogs.”
Bundaberg Region Mayor Jack Dempsey said protecting the area’s turtles was an important initiative that the Council had championed in a number of different ways.
“Our coastline is home to the largest concentration of nesting sea turtles on the east coast of Australia and is home to 50% of the breeding activity of endangered Loggerhead Sea Turtles in the South Pacific Ocean,” he said. declared.
“Through our Reducing Urban Glow initiative, the Bargara Walkway Smart Lighting Project, and now this nesting cage, we are always looking for ways to keep our turtle population healthy and thriving in their natural environment.
“I would like to thank the Sea Turtle Alliance team, Impact and the members of the Lighthouse Hotel raffle for their partnership in this very important project.”
The endangered loggerhead turtle nests along the Woongarra coast between November and February.
“Local turtle volunteers registered with Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service monitor turtle activity throughout the season,” Carly said.
“When turtles lay nests in dangerous areas, volunteers move the nests to a safe place on the same beach, as eggs flooded by high tides or impacted by dune erosion have a significantly reduced chance of developing. and hatch.”
The new cage at Burnett Heads will hold up to 32 relocated nests.
Prior to the installation of the cage, community volunteers and Impact Community Services interns also weeded the dunes to make way for the cage and encourage native species to regenerate.
