Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2017L00641:body:0:p72
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2017L00641
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 363337–389742

this stock                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Action Area
    * Manage anthropogenic activities to ensure marine turtles are not displaced from identified habitat critical to the survival as per section 3.3 Table 6.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A9
    * Understand the implications of sea level rise for this stock.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              A2, B3
    * Establish a long-term monitoring program at index beaches to assess trends in nesting turtle abundance.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    B1
    * Understand the impact of international take on the Scott-Browse stock.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     A5, B3
Measure of success
Trends in nesting turtle abundance are assessed for this stock                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   B1

Green – Cocos Keeling (G-CK)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Recovering[155]
Threats                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 A. Climate change and variability  Very high
H. Habitat modification – dredging and trawling                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         High
Important nesting areas                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Internesting Buffer: 20 km
Major: North Keeling Island[241].                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Mating: Sep-Nov (peak: Oct)
Index beaches monitored: North Keeling Island (1999-2010)[241].                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Nesting: Oct-Apr (peak: Dec–Jan)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Hatching: Dec–May (peak: Feb–Mar)
Foraging habitat
Post-hatchling/young juveniles: Unknown. Likely disperse through waters of the Indian Ocean.
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: Studies of turtles foraging at Cocos (Keeling) (north island and south lagoon) have occurred annually since 1999 (except 2008 and 2013)[249].
Distribution: See Figure 11.
Stock description
The Cocos (Keeling) Islands are part of a remote Australian territory in the Indian Ocean (1000 km from Indonesia and 2100 km from Australia). The Cocos (Keeling) nesting aggregation is a small, but genetically unique stock[63, 249]. A large proportion of green turtles remain resident (juvenile and adult), foraging around the southern atoll[249]. Approximately 70 per cent of marine turtles foraging in the Cocos (Keeling) islands lagoon are from this stock with the remainder from the North West Shelf and Scott-Browse stocks[116]. North Keeling Island is protected within the Pulu Keeling National Park, which is managed by Parks Australia. While this stock appears to be recovering, given its small size and restricted range of nesting, it is susceptible to anthropogenic impacts such as rising sea level and increased sand and water temperatures resulting from climate change. Similarly, dredging and increased water temperature are likely to decrease the availability of seagrass habitat[249]. Development activities that have occurred on the island with potential for impacts to the resident turtles include the dredging for jetties and boat access[249]. Given the localised nature of this stock and history of monitoring, ongoing monitoring of nesting and foraging populations should continue.
Priority actions specifically required to recover this stock                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Action Area
    * Understand how changes in sand and water temperature affect reproductive and foraging success.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    A2
    * Manage dredging and trawling such that marine turtles continue to utilise seagrass habitat without injury