Recovery Plan for Marine Turtles in Australia
Status of Marine Turtles in AustraliaStatus of Marine Turtles in Australia
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Status of Marine Turtles in Australia
In Australia the hard-shelled marine turtles are largely found in the tropical and subtropical waters of Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland. The leatherback is regularly found in the waters of temperate Australia. All species are protected under State/Territory and Commonwealth legislation (Table 1), however some of these jurisdictions allow the taking of turtles for licensed scientific research, educational pursuits and for traditional subsistence use by people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent.
Table 1. Commonwealth, State and Northern Territory legislation that protects marine turtles or identifies their status as needing particular conservation action
| Jurisdiction | Statute |
|---|---|
| Queensland | Nature Conservation Act 1992 |
| Northern Territory | Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 2000 |
| Western Australia | Wildlife Conservation Act 1950Conservation and Land Management Act 1984 |
| South Australia | National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 |
| Tasmania | Threatened Species Protection Act 1995Living Marine Resources Management Act 1995 |
| Victoria | Wildlife Act 1975Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 |
| New South Wales | National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 |
| Commonwealth | Wildlife Protection (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Act 1982 Torres Strait Fisheries Act 1984Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 |
The six species of marine turtle found in Australian waters are listed as threatened species under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Part 13, Division 1 provides for the listing of species that are considered to be extinct, extinct in the wild, critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable or conservation dependent. The status of each marine turtle species is given in Table 2.
Table 2. Status of marine turtles under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
| Common name | Genus, Species | Status |
|---|