Opportunities for research and conservation of freshwater turtles in Australia

Abstract

Australia's freshwater turtles have high endemicity and many are threatened by extinction. Following a symposium held at the 2022 conference of the Australian Society of Herpetologists, we summarized the current status of research and conservation for Australian freshwater turtles and identified opportunities for future research. Eight species (32%) of Australia's 25 native freshwater turtles are listed as threatened by Australia's Federal Government. Symposium discussions on the primary gaps in research identified the lack of baseline data to inform population modelling as a key deficiency. Knowledge of the most effective conservation actions, the effectiveness of attempts to aid population recovery, and whether these actions are required at all, remains lacking for many species. A heavy bias exists between some well‐studied species compared with others for which little or no information is published. Community science, engagement with First Nations people, advances in technology, and recognition of the importance of turtles are contributing to better knowledge.

Impact of severe drought on movement and survival of freshwater turtles in the Gwydir Wetlands, Australia

“…Despite extensive extraction of water and increased drought severity in the Murray-Darling Basin, we still lack an understanding of the impact of floodplain drying on freshwater turtles (Aldous et al 2011;Francis et al 2022). Many knowledge gaps still exist for freshwater turtles, such as movement cues, cognitive abilities and baseline ecological information (Bower et al 2023). Different species have different habitat requirements, including lakes, rivers and ephemeral water bodies (Chessman 1988), and this suggests that they have differing responses to hydrological change.…”