Environmental experts, detection dogs team up to protect native freshwater turtles

As the old saying goes, 'never work with children and animals', but that is exactly what the people behind South Australia's first turtle management strategy are doing in a bid to protect the vulnerable creatures.

Deploying conservation detection dogs and educating the next generation on turtle conservation, are some of the methods the environmental experts are using to help stabilise the state's freshwater turtle populations.

University of New England ecology and zoology associate professor Deborah Bower has been researching the troubled species' grim outlook.

"One in three Australian freshwater turtles is threatened with extinction," she said.

"Turtles have historically not received as much attention as economically important animals like fish."

She said the lack of attention and research on the turtle's role in the ecosystem has been overlooked, leaving knowledge gaps.

"We still lack a lot of data on turtles," she said.

"Funding to monitor how different populations are faring over time and how changing environmental patterns such as big floods and droughts are influencing those populations [is key]." 

The River Murray is home to three native freshwater species — the Murray short-necked turtle, the eastern long-necked turtle and the broad-shelled turtle.

In South Australia, two of the three species are listed as vulnerable, facing steep population declines due to habitat loss, river regulation, drought and fox predation.

Amid the state's turtle management strategy, environmentalists, Indigenous rangers and scientists have teamed up to share knowledge and fight for the species' survival.

Why are turtles important?

Referred to as "the vacuum cleaners of the river", native turtles play a key role in freshwater ecosystems.

Turtles eat dead animals and algae, cycle nutrients and keep waterways clean.

According to researchers from the University of Sydney and Western Sydney University, turtle scavenging removed fish carcasses up to five times faster than natural decomposition, playing a key role in improving water quality.

The study found without turtles, the water would be murkier and there could be more algal blooms due to an increase of rotting animal matter in the river.

Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board (MRLB) senior project officer Sylvia Clarke said predation was a major threat to turtle populations.

It raised alarm bells of limited juvenile survival and concerns about habitat loss in river systems hindering the creature's development, she explained.

"I'm afraid a lot of the places in the rivers aren't ideal for juveniles anymore," Ms Clarke said.

"Carp and the lack of change in water system are really depleting our aquatic plant resources."

For First Nations people from the River Murray and Lower Lakes areas, the turtles carry important cultural significance.

Ngintait and Ngangaruku woman Aunty Sheryl Giles said the turtles were the knowledge keepers of their land and waters.

"Turtles were a part of the food, a part of our dreaming, a part of the law," she said.

Unlikely friends to help turtles

To assist researchers and citizen scientists monitor turtle nests, the MRLB has partnered with conservation detection dog handlers.

The dogs are trained and deployed to sniff out turtle nests so people can protect them before predators get to the eggs.

Ms Clarke was afraid the turtles were "a bit out of sight out of mind" for most people, including government bodies.

She said creating awareness and adding new methods to their conservation efforts were essential to address the species' dire situation.

Skylos Ecology co-director and conservation dog handler Fiona Jackson works with six dogs, a mixture of border collies and kelpies, along the River Murray.

She highlighted while turtle nests were hard to detect with the human eye and other methodologies struggled, the dogs could make a real difference.

"They have this incredible technology on the end of their nose — estimates are their sense of smell is between 10,000 to 100,000 times better than ours," she said.

Next generation of environmental leaders

The strategy also includes educating young people about the turtles' role in the environment and what action they can take to protect the species.

Ngarrindjeri woman Lucy Sumner is a junior ranger at the River Murray and Mallee Aboriginal Corporation and says she loves sharing her knowledge about the Thukabi (turtle).

"I want students to walk away with the knowledge of turtles and why it's important we keep their wetlands and any area they inhabit and breed in," Ms Sumner said.

"To be wary about them and if they see one, if it needs help, help it."

She said educating the next generation to become turtle custodians was crucial because of the long life span of the species, with some living up to 100 years and only starting to breed after 10 years. 

"So they can enjoy looking at them, touching them and maybe one day we'll have plenty of them."

For Ramco Primary School year 6 student Evan, learning about turtles living so close to his home during a school excursion was eye-opening.

He felt privileged to learn about turtle conservation at Lake Bonney, which is known by its Aboriginal name Barmera — meaning place of large water.

The state's complete turtle management strategy directing future actions will be published in June 2027.