Aboriginal rangers fight to save River Murray's native freshwater turtles
Senior ranger Lucy Sumner and junior ranger Anton Motto are surveying turtle numbers in the River Murray. (ABC Rural: Jessica Schremmer)
In short:
Native freshwater turtle populations have declined by up to 91 per cent in sections of the River Murray.
The turtles are of important cultural significance to First Nations groups along the River Murray and Lower Lakes and play a crucial role in keeping river systems and waterways clean.
What's next:
A $450,000 state government grant will help establish South Australia's first turtle management strategy to improve turtle conservation efforts.
When Ngarrindjeri woman Lucy Sumner was growing up on the River Murray, turtles were everywhere.
Wherever she went as a young girl, the animals which she had learnt about through Creation stories could be seen "poking their little heads out" of the river.
Today, freshwater turtle populations are in serious trouble.
The species, known as the vacuum cleaners of the river due to the crucial role they play in protecting the ecosystem, has declined by 91 per cent in 40 years, according to scientific research.
Ms Sumner finds destroyed turtle eggs in a dug up nest while surveying at Barmera. (ABC Rural: Jessica Schremmer)
For First Nations people of the River Murray and Lower Lakes, the turtle also carries important cultural significance, Ms Sumner said.
"I fell in love with turtles when I was a little kid, they are cherished as a mystical and wise creature," she said.
"But now it's really sad, you go near a little creek or waterways and you don't see turtles."
The number of River Murray freshwater turtles is in significant decline. (Supplied: Western Sydney University)
It's why the senior ranger at the River Murray and Mallee Aboriginal Corporation has joined forces with a team of other Indigenous rangers and environmental experts to create South Australia's first management strategy to conserve the species for future generations.
"I want the kids to have the experience to interact with them," Ms Sumner said.
Rangers want the next generation to be able to see hatchlings like this Murray short-necked turtle. (Supplied: Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board)
The River Murray is home to three freshwater species including the Murray short-necked turtle, the eastern long-necked turtle and the broad-shelled turtle.
In South Australia's Riverland region, the turtles also reside at Lake Bonney, which is known by its Aboriginal name Barmera — meaning place of large water.
Threats to turtle populations
River system regulation, fox predation, and roadkill were major threats to turtle populations, according to Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board senior project manager Sylvia Clarke.
Predation — where foxes kill turtles and dig up entire nests to eat the eggs — is the biggest risk to baby turtles hatching.
"About 100 per cent of nests are getting dug up by foxes in some areas, which is stopping juveniles getting back into the system,"she said.
It's common to find turtle eggs that have been preyed on by foxes around Barmera. (ABC Rural: Jessica Schremmer)
But environmental experts said a lack of data and management strategy had put conservation efforts at risk.
LaTrobe University associate professor James Van Dyke said turtle research only started in the 1970s, which formed part of today's knowledge gaps about their populations.
Historical accounts showed turtles had gone through a "long period of persecution", and were listed as a pest species in the past, according to Dr Van Dyke.
"There's old newspaper clippings where fishers talk about killing 1,000 turtles in [a number of] months," he said.
"That probably had a major impact on turtles that we have no real data or knowledge on outside the historical accounts."
Dr Van Dyke says a management strategy is crucial to protecting turtles. (ABC Riverland: Catherine Heuzenroeder)
He said establishing SA's first management strategy was crucial to applying more effective conservation methods.
"The challenge with turtles is to go from an egg to an adult might take 10-20 years,"he said.
The SA government recently granted $450,000 to create the Together Understanding and Restoring Turtles in our Landscapes and Ecosystems project (TURTLE).
Ms Clarke said the funding would be used to establish a management strategy in collaboration with First Nations people and environmental experts.
Ms Sumner monitors turtle sightings to try and get a better grasp on numbers. (ABC Rural: Jessica Schremmer)
Turtles' role in the ecosystem
When Ms Sumner recalled stories of her grandfather, she remembered him talking about the clean water of the river and waterways near Swan Reach and Gerard when he was growing up.
"The turtles are the ones that really cleaned the river, and that's why it's so important for us to protect them and bring them back,"she said.
Turtles play a critical role in cleaning up after fish kill events. (Supplied: Western Sydney University)
Part of her project work at Barmera with team members like junior ranger Anton Motto includes assessing, monitoring and protecting the "water cleaners" from predation.
A study found turtles also played an important role after fish-kill events, returning ammonia and dissolved oxygen levels much faster.
Findings showed turtles could strip a carcass in three to six days which would otherwise take 25-27 days to decompose.
Future turtle conservation
Conservation efforts to protect the native species include restoring wetlands, fox proof fencing and nest protections.
At Paiwalla Wetland, about 96 kilometres from Adelaide, its landholder group built an electric fence and hired a professional shooter to combat foxes.
The landholder group at Paiwalla Wetland adopts turtle conservation methods to help the species survive. (Supplied: Heather Bean)
But chairperson Stephen Scown said getting regular data wasn't easy due to the elusive nature of turtles.
"It's difficult because we don't always see live turtles, we see a lot of predated nests," he said.
Ms Clarke said other conservation efforts included working with councils to install nesting islands in waterways and improving species monitoring.
Broad-shelled turtles are one of the three freshwater species in the River Murray. (Supplied: Murrayland and Riverland Landscape)
For Ms Sumner, protecting the native species' habitat for future generations is a responsibility everyone should take on.
"Australia is for all; let's all get together, black, white, it doesn't matter and help our native animals," she said.
"We are the most unique place in the world. Let's be proud of it and look after these animals, trees, plants and all."