The Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia is one of the largest fringing reef systems in the world and is located approximately 1200km north of Perth in Western Australia. Teeming with a diversity of corals, fish and invertebrates, the reef provides habitat for some of the world’s threatened marine species, including dugongs, turtles, whale sharks and humpback whales.
Green turtles (Chelonia mydas), loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) and hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata), three of the world’s seven marine turtle species, nest on the mainland beaches and islands of Ningaloo Reef during the summer months from November to March
In an attempt to provide a coordinated and determined effort in the conservation of marine turtles and their associated habitats, the local conservation group – the Cape Conservation Group (CCG), the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC), Murdoch University and WWF Australia have worked towards the implementation and development of the Ningaloo Turtle Program.
There are four main components to the Ningaloo Turtle Program:
1. Ningaloo Community Turtle Monitoring Program (NCTMP)
2. Jurabi Turtle Centre (JTC)
3. Monitoring expansion and outreach to communities in the Pilbara
4. Assist turtle conservation research programs at Ningaloo
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Photo: Susie Bedford |
