Watergum is thrilled to be partnered with Sea World Foundation for the TurtleWatch Gold Coast program!
Sea World Foundation is a National pioneer in marine animal rescue and rehabilitation and is dedicated to funding and promoting independent marine research projects. This includes numerous sea turtle studies and current, in-house research and data collection activities focused on the protection and conservation of these iconic species.
Watergum is a leader in community science, supporting member groups and individuals who are involved in the hands-on restoration, maintenance and protection of the Gold Coast’s natural areas and species.
We believe this is a winning combination for turtle conservation!
The TurtleWatch Gold Coast program aims to close the gap in data deficiency regarding turtle nesting activities in their southern ranges and raise community awareness of turtle conservation. We aim to implement ongoing marine turtle monitoring on Gold Coast (GC) beaches to identify and record species, nesting locations and frequency. We can use this information to better inform marine turtle management in Queensland and we can contribute all data to the Queensland turtle nesting database.
We will teach you all about turtle conservation and how you can reduce the negative impact we have on these iconic and threatened species.
Objectives:
Despite extensive research on sea turtles in Queensland, there are crucial knowledge gaps on sea turtle nesting behavior, movement patterns and habitat usage within the Gold Coast region (Cuttriss, 2014).
All data collected by TurtleWatch GC will be added to the City of Gold Coast (GCCC) flora and fauna database and will also be submitted to the Queensland turtle research database, TURTDATA. TURTDATA has been operational since 1982 and collates data spanning 50 years of turtle research in Queensland.
Sharing our data will not only assist in the conservation and protection of sea turtles but may also drive policy change and help shape management decisions.