Sea turtle conservation volunteers

The aim of the TurtleCare Volunteer program is to implement an ongoing marine turtle monitoring program for nesting activity on the beaches from Golden Beach to Point Cartwright and Sunshine Beach north to Teewah Beach to identify and record species, nesting locations, frequency and success rates of nesting activity.

The program is carried out with the following specific objectives:

• To monitor and maintain nesting conditions in as close to the natural state as possible, with minimal interference with habitat, turtles or nests;
• To gain an understanding of how turtles react to increasing impacts from urbanisation i.e. threatening processes by people, domestic animals, feral species and litter and find a united approach to reduce those threats along the Sunshine Coast;
• To encourage community awareness and commitment to turtle conservation through the study and enjoyment of turtles and protection of their environment;
• To monitor turtle nesting populations for the two known nesting species, loggerhead & green turtles, on Sunshine Coast beaches and provide annual nesting records to Queensland Department of Environment & Heritage Protection (DEHP) and Sunshine Coast Regional Council;
• To monitor the emergence success of clutches;
• To monitor and minimise fox predation;
• To enlist the assistance of the Local Authority and DEHP regarding regular pest management programs to control fox numbers and provide assistance with monitoring fox numbers and locations as part of this control program; and
• To establish a network for reporting strandings and assisting injured turtles washed up on our beaches.

For further information on the Volunteer Program please contact us >