(EPBC Act) and Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Regulations 2000 Provides means of assessment of 'actions' within Australian marine and terrestrial environments Under this legislation it is illegal to harm, interfere with or disturb marine turtles except for traditional use (as pursuant to the Native Title Act 1993) Legislative role includes the listing and regulation of threatened and protected species and communities, preparing recovery plans for threatened and protected species, identifying key threatening processes and, where appropriate, developing threat abatement plans and recovery plans See comments above regarding species listed as migratory, as listed by appendices of the convention. Lepidochelys olivacea Species listed as vulnerable: Chelonia mydas Eretmochelys imbricata Natator depressus Listed threatened species and ecological communities are recognised as a matter of national environmental significance. Consequently, any action that is likely to have a significant impact on listed threatened species and ecological communities under the EPBC Act are subject to referral and assessment under the Act An action affecting marine turtles that would otherwise be in breach of the EPBC Act could be deemed to be a 'controlled action' and require a greater scrutiny of environmental impact assessment and, if approved, conditions for control of the action Threat abatement plans guide industry regulation and outline the research and management actions required to address these threats: Threat abatement plan for the impacts of marine debris on vertebrate marine life (2009) Threat abatement plan for predation, habitat degradation, competition and disease transmission by feral pigs (2005) Threat abatement plan for predation by European red fox (2008) Assessment and export approval processes for all fisheries with an export component (Wildlife Trade Operation) that must consider interactions with threatened species Penalties for non-compliance Processes of review Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 and Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Regulations 1983 Provides for biodiversity conservation through zoning, permits and plans of management that collectively enable management of human activities in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Regulation 29, Table 29 of the Regulations provides a list of protected species including all marine turtles The Regulations establish provisions for the Cairns, Plans of management regulate activities within the Marine Park relating to marine turtle conservation and other protected species Activities within the Marine Park are managed spatially via zoning provisions within the Act Under the Regulations, the agency must not grant a permit to enter, use, or carry on an activity in the Marine Park unless an assessment has Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
ghost nets, but this is predominantly restricted to the Torres Strait and northern Australia. Ghost nets impact on stocks of hawksbill and green turtles that nest within the northern GBR and forage in northern Australia, (also flatback and olive ridley turtles that nest in Northern Australia, but forage within the Marine Park). The foraging habitat of some marine turtles is impacted by otter trawling. The risk posed by this activity is being reviewed as part of the Queensland Government trawl review process. A total of 67 per cent of the Marine Park is closed to otter trawling which limits the level of incidental capture and habitat degradation of benthic foraging habitat. their behaviour and may increase energy expenditure and potentially, reproductive output. Should this be pervasive, the likely result is a reduction in reproductive output for affected marine turtle species at a stock level. either directly through mortality related to intoxication, or indirectly through loss or degradation of habitat. Shipping-born pollution may expose marine turtles to higher levels of toxins which may result in early mortality and/or a higher prevalence of disease. This may also result from the of sediment that contains toxins during port dredging operations which may be absorbed directly or through the food web. example may be positively or negatively affected by changes to ocean currents that are predicted to occur as the climate changes. The spatial and temporal variability, across which these aspects of climate change will act, provides further difficulty for predicting impacts on the six species of marine turtle recorded in the Marine Park. Eastern Australian stock of loggerhead turtles.
may be more likely. Research into the impacts from this source of disturbance has shown resultant reductions in clutch size. Either way, impacts on populations would be significant if unmanaged, especially disturbance during nesting that could force nesting females to relocate to sub-optimal nesting locations. Evidence of basking behaviour ceasing after the introduction of tourism to Heron Island suggests marine turtles do not adapt to tourism associated disturbance. requirements. turtles when migrating. with cooler temperatures, and in the second, a shift in the main nesting beaches used. Human-related pressures may degrade or reduce the availability of alternative suitable nesting/internesting habitat, or the productivity of foraging grounds. The mobility and foraging ecology of marine turtles may enable them to select alternative suitable habitat localities to forage if necessary and available. The actual adaptive capacity of marine turtles to these pressures is poorly understood. It is not known what the thresholds of pressure may be if marine turtles were forced to transition to alternative nesting or foraging localities if previous localities were lost or degraded or were not productive enough to support provisioning.
species, including marine turtles. Strategies to reduce the occurrence of boat strike on marine turtles need to be further between the responsible agencies and operators. Management of marine turtle tourism can review best practice guidelines to reflect such developments. requirements is generally limited to the use of Special Management Areas that can restrict commercial fishing activities in sensitive or critical habitats under exceptional circumstances and after extensive consultative processes. For commercial fishing impacts that fall outside of GBRMPA's jurisdiction — such as those from trawling, inshore set mesh nets or oceanic long-lining — processes such as collaborative risk assessments, consultations and general advocacy on issues of concern remain as avenues for adaptive management. Strategies to reduce the occurrence of boat strike on marine turtles need to be further between the responsible agencies and operators. need to be further between the responsible agencies and operators. reference to take account of regional and cumulative impacts from activities such as ports and shipping. Strategies to reduce the occurrence of boat strike on marine turtles need to be further between the responsible agencies and operators. monitoring of the habitats and ecosystems, and human activities in their sea country. There is also considerable compliance effort placed on illegal poaching of marine turtle resources by non-Traditional Owner hunters. Inherent difficulties in enforcing compliance associated with remote locations are steadily being addressed through programs aimed at enabling Traditional Owners to gather evidence of alleged offences. implement new information as it becomes available. for coastal development in Queensland.