4 | BURDEKIN DRY TROPICS COASTAL COMMUNITY ACTION PLAN PROJECT PROSPECTUS
Improving nesting success for sea turtles at Cap
This project aims to reduce impacts of feral predators on sea turtle nests Cape Upstart Beach in Abbot Bay , a known nesting " hotspot ” in the Great Barrier Reef area .
Background and project information
Former cattle property Cape Upstart Station is the site of a privately-funded environmental restoration project on 4400 hectares , including 7km of turtle nesting beach .
Situated between two national parks with an additional 3km of beach , it includes endangered native beach scrub , and seasonal wetlands attracting more than 200 species of birds .
A survey conducted by the World Wildlife Foundation ( WWF ) in 2015 identified the Cape Upstart beach front as a flatback turtle “ nesting hotspot ”, but also found evidence of feral predators ( mainly pigs ) near the nesting tracks .
Feral pigs ’ keen sense of smell allows them to locate buried turtle nests and subsequently dig up and consume their contents .
Reports suggest they are responsible for destroying up to 90 per cent of nests in some locations .
Other feral predators such as dogs and foxes are being controlled on the station , and adjacent National Park estates , by Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service .
Integrating existing pest management activities with a pilot pig trapping program would restore the balance of natural predation , giving the turtles a much better chance of reproducing on this beach .
Station staff would undertake nesting and predator track surveys using a drone during the start of nesting season to monitor the impact of these pest management activities .
Whitsunday Catchment Landcare
The project would be led by Whitsunday Catchment Landcare ( WCL ), which has delivered landcare activities in the Whitsunday region for more than 20 years .
Landcare staff and volunteers would undertake onground monitoring , and CSIRO staff would make available state-of-the-art artificial intelligence to geolocate the predator tracks .
This information would support WCL ’ s efforts to install nest protection devices ( in part , supplied by WWF ).
If successful , this project would serve as an example of local communities using integrated pest management to support turtle nesting success along the Great Barrier Reef coast .