Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2017L00641:body:0:p66
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2017L00641
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 285144–306539

turtle abundance are assessed for this stock                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               B1

Green – Cobourg (G-Cobourg)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Unknown
Threats                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       B. Marine debris – entanglement          Very high
A. Climate change and variability                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             High
C. Chemical and terrestrial discharge – acute                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 High
Important nesting areas                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Internesting Buffer: 20 km
Major: Black Point and Smith Point and McCluer, Croker and Lawson Islands[36, 107].                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Mating: Sep–Nov (peak: Oct)
Index beaches monitored: None currently monitored.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Nesting: Oct–Apr (peak: Dec–Jan)
Census data: Cobourg Peninsula[36, 107].                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Hatching: peak: Dec–May (peak: Feb–Mar)

Foraging habitat
Post-hatchling/young juveniles: Unknown. Hatchlings likely disperse through waters of the India Ocean/Arafura Sea region.
Juvenile-adult: Tidal/sub-tidal habitats with coral reef, mangrove, sand, rocky reefs and mudflats where there are algal turfs or seagrass meadows present[18]. A proportion of turtles may also remain resident in the open ocean[92].
Foraging grounds monitored: None.
Distribution: See Figure 11.
Stock description
The Cobourg stock has only recently been delineated as a separate genetic stock[63]. It appears to have a geographically limited nesting range within an area co-managed by the Northern Territory Government and the Djelk, Garngi, Mardbalk, Garig Gunak Barlu, and Crocodile Island Ranger groups. Cobourg is a national park comprising the entire Peninsula and surrounding waters of the Arafura Sea and Van Diemen Gulf, and some of the neighbouring islands. In addition to the Peninsula, green turtles have also been recorded nesting on the Tiwi Islands albeit in low numbers[36], but the genetic stock of these turtles is currently unknown. There is no long-term nesting or foraging habitat data available for this stock, so long-term trends are unknown. Turtles from this stock nest and forage in areas that have been identified as ghost net 'hotspots'[256] and although not quantified, it is likely that turtles from this stock are impacted. While a large proportion of the marine debris found around Cobourg is ghost nets, there is also urban rubbish of international origins[237]. Due to the location of this stock's preferred nesting habitat, its capacity to expand into other areas in the event of sand temperature increases is limited, although it does have the potential to change the timing of nesting to cooler months. This stock also has a limited capacity to compensate for habitat loss as a result of extreme weather events and climate change. Nest predation is not quantified, but across the recorded range of this stock, predation by pigs, dogs/dingoes and goannas occurs. Pigs at Cobourg National Park are managed directly by the rangers on site.
Priority actions specifically required to recover this stock                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Action Area
    * Support the implementation of management plans and build capacity to undertake monitoring, education, and compliance management of marine turtles.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      A1, A2, A3, A6, A10
    * Understand the risk of entanglement for this stock.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     A3