Recovery plan for marine turtles in Australia

Abstract

Six of the world’s seven species of marine turtles occur in Australian waters and are protected under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). These species are the EPBC Act listed threatened ‘endangered’ loggerhead (Caretta caretta), olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), and leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) turtles, and ‘vulnerable’ green (Chelonia mydas), flatback (Natator depressus) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) turtles. Marine turtles are found throughout Australia’s marine environment and are most common across northern Australia. Australia has some of the largest marine turtle nesting rookeries in the Indo-Pacific region and is the only country where flatback turtles nest.