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Citizen scientists key allies in protecting snake-necked turtles
When scientists from Harry Butler Institute (HBI) discovered that the snake-necked turtle was in decline and headed towards a threatened status – they knew something had to be done.
The work of Murdoch University researchers has continuously inspired citizen scientists to want to get involved in conservation efforts.
So, in 2019, turtle ecologist Dr Anthony Santoro worked to develop a pilot project called ‘Turtle Trackers’ which called on citizen scientists to assist in monitoring nesting female turtles and their nests.
Dr Santoro’s research had revealed that across 35 metropolitan wetlands, there were practically no juvenile turtles, and some populations were becoming male biased due to a combination of predation by introduced species, and road strikes.
The first year of ‘Turtle Trackers’, based in Bibra Lake, saw 80 community members sign up to learn about the snake-necked turtle and its threats, and help protect nesting females and their nests.
Over three years, the Bibra Lake ‘Turtle Trackers’ gained momentum and other city councils began enquiring about forming their own turtle-tracking team.
Bringing the community together with science
With citizen scientists well and truly engaged with the cause, and HBI preparing to upscale their project, a Lotterywest grant came at the perfect time.
Lotterywest pledged $131,000 to support the rollout of a comprehensive citizen science engagement and education program.
The South West Group, an alliance of six local governments in the south west metro region were named to lead the project, with Murdoch researchers partnering with a national consortium dedicated to conserving freshwater turtles across Australia.
Additional contributors such as local governments, the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA), WA Wildlife, and Conservation Volunteers Australia were also dialled in to the important task.
In 2022, the Saving Our Snake-Necked Turtle project (SOSNT) was set in motion and the team accrued an influx of new volunteers.
With the help of their passionate citizen scientists, HBI researchers released more than 60 hatchling southwestern snake-necked turtles into Bibra Lake as part of a Murdoch University led incubation project to bump up waning numbers.
The importance of scientists on the ground
Used to monitoring the terrestrial surrounds of wetlands for their shelled friends, ‘Turtle Tracker’ volunteers were quick to notice something was awry in mid 2024.
‘Turtle Tracker’ volunteers eventually discovered the remains of at least 96 southwestern snake-necked turtles, who had likely been killed by feral foxes.
This was a devastating blow to the Bibra Lake population, as well as to the SOSNT volunteers and researchers who had dedicated several years to protecting the turtles.
However, once volunteers had flagged this event, the HBI team sprang into action, calling on media and stakeholders to recognise the need for additional protection efforts.
“It highlights the very real impacts that climate change and feral predators are having on native species, and that when these threats combine, the threat can multiply exponentially,” Dr Santoro said.
The City of Cockburn also extended its fox-trapping period in city-managed reserves the month prior due to observations of fox activity that occurred with drying lakes during record-low rainfall.
Dr Santoro said the situation was a prime example of the need for further collaborative efforts across WA in feral predator control, and water management for wetlands and people amidst a drying climate.
“It emphasises the importance of the SOSNT project and the dedication of the volunteer ‘Turtle Trackers’. Five years ago, there is a chance this mortality event may not have been noticed.” he said.
Dr Santoro and the City of Cockburn encouraged people to use the TurtleSAT smartphone app to record all their turtle related observations, including instances of turtle mortality or nest predation.
The hundreds of trained ‘Turtle Tracker’ volunteers will continue gathering essential data on the nesting behaviour of the important freshwater species, while researchers work to collate and investigate information to find innovative solutions.
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Citizen scientists key allies in protecting snake-necked turtles
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