Poster Presentation Australian Marine Sciences Association 2025 Conference

Queensland Marine Turtle Network Supporting Citizen Science Programs (#135)

Sean Williamson 1 2 , Sue Sargent 3 , Ainsley Gatley 4 , John Gatley 4 , Mike Gregory 5 , Mark Hamann 6 , Kate Hofmeister 7 , Nev McLachlan 8 , Bev McLachlan 8 , Misty Neilson-Green 9 , Jennifer Loder 10
  1. Queensland Marine Turtle Network, Noosa Heads, QLD, Australia
  2. Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  3. Independent Consultant, Bundaberg, QLD, Australia
  4. Sea Turtle Alliance Inc., Bundaberg, QLD, Australia
  5. Nest to Ocean Program, Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
  6. James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
  7. Sunshine Coast Regional Council, Maroochydore, QLD, Australia
  8. Turtle Care Volunteers Queensland Inc., Buderim, QLD, Australia
  9. Burnett Catchment Care Association, Three Moon, QLD, Australia
  10. Great Barrier Reef Foundation, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

There are over fifty organisations undertaking marine turtle monitoring and conservation activities in Queensland. The Queensland Marine Turtle Network (QMTN) is a newly emerging initiative that aims to further support these efforts, by working across government and community to enable impactful outcomes for marine turtle conservation. The idea for a network emerged as part of the Burnett Community Action Plan. Here, leaders from Turtle Care Volunteers Queensland and Wreck Rock Turtle Monitoring highlighted the need to unite marine turtle monitoring groups. Further discussions revealed this was a wider trend. Since then, the initiative has gained momentum and interest through surveys, consultation, and the first QMTN Forum in 2023, and formal launch in 2024. The network has identified key priorities around enabling citizen science, supporting information flow and data feedback loops, and identifying collaborative research initiatives to drive conservation outcomes. A coordinator has been appointed and is working with participants to progress key activities. We will share learnings and insights from QMTN, which may be useful for other conservation initiatives seeking to build more coordinated efforts. QMTN is funded until December 2025 by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation with support from a volunteer Steering Group.