Protecting Australia's Flatback Sea Turtle
Local Marine Turtle Species Benefits From Shared Nesting Beaches
Dec 2, 2008
The flatback sea turtle (Natator depressa) uses nesting beaches in Australia which are managed to protect loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green (Chelonia mydas) sea turtles, both of which are endangered. These shared beaches may help prevent the flatback from suffering the same fate.
Natural History of the Flatback Sea Turtle
The flatback turtle is one of the smaller sea turtle species, with the adults weighing around 90 kilograms. Once thought to be a relative of the green sea turtle, they are now considered a completely separate genus.
Most sea turtle species travel long distances in the open ocean once they are hatched, returning to their natal beach as adults to nest. The flatback, unlike other sea turtle species, is found only in the waters off Australia, Papua New Guinea and the Indonesian archipelago. And these sea turtles nest only on Australia’s northern coast.
Threats to Flatback Sea Turtles
Flatback sea turtles, although not yet listed as endangered, face many of the same threats as other sea turtles. Predators take many newly hatched turtles as they make their way to the sea for the first time.
Human encroachment often results in light pollution. Hatchlings become disoriented and head toward the light rather than the water, increasing the chances of being taken by a predator or dying of exhaustion and dehydration.
Given that the flatback turtle has a much more limited range than other sea turtles, they are more vulnerable to habitat destruction and overfishing, particularly of sea cucumbers and crustaceans, which are their main food items. In the South Pacific, human populations are increasing, as is exploitation of ocean food sources.
Beach Protection for Flatback Sea Turtles
Places like Mon Repos Turtle Conservation Park in Australia are designed to protect endangered sea turtles and has the largest concentration of nesting turtles on the east Australian mainland. Females coming ashore to lay their eggs can do so unmolested. The hatchlings are monitored as they return to sea, increasing the rate of survival of these endangered marine animals.
In addition, some of the animals at Mon Repos are tagged so that they can be tracked over time. One female flatback sea turtle, tagged in the early seventies, was still coming back to the park as of 2005. These tagged animals provide valuable data on sea turtle life history, which should result in information that can be used to help save the species and their habitat.
Mon Repos is open to a limited number of visitors during nesting season. At those times, the public can actually observe loggerhead, green and flatback sea turtles returning to nest or hatchlings making their way back to sea.
Mon Repos is a good example of how safeguards for endangered species can aid other wildlife that shares the habitat, possibly preventing species like the flatback sea turtle from joining the endangered species list.
