Marine Turtles
Find information about marine turtles on the Sunshine Coast, our plan to address the threats they face and get involved in the community programs to protect them.
Marine turtles can live for more than one hundred years. They forage in waters along the Queensland coast and internationally.
Every summer, the Sunshine Coast welcomes the arrival of two species of nesting marine turtles. These are the critically endangered loggerhead turtle and the green turtle. Then we celebrate as hundreds of turtle hatchlings emerge from their nest and make their way to the ocean for their long journey ahead. The Sunshine Coast is forecast to be an important refuge for future populations of marine turtles. This is thanks to our coastal habitat and local climate.
Our Sunshine Coast Marine Turtle Conservation Plan provides a strategic direction to ‘Make tracks together’ for the conservation of marine turtles on the Sunshine Coast.
Two species of marine turtles nest on our beaches and six species are found in the region:
Find out more about:
- What nesting is happening right now – Open Data Dashboard
- What species visit the Sunshine Coast and where they nest – Marine Turtle Nest Monitoring (arcgis.com)
- What species nest in Australia – TurtleNET
Threats to marine turtles
Marine turtles face a mix of human related threats and will need our help for their populations to recover. Find out what these are and how you can help.
Turtle conservation projects
We conduct research, collaborate with others, and share our knowledge for turtle conservation.
Sunshine Coast marine turtle conservation plan
Find out how our Sunshine Coast marine turtle conservation plan will set us on the right track to help save one of our most beloved marine animals.
Get involved in turtle conservation
We are a turtle friendly community. Here’s how you can get involved in the conservation of our nesting marine turtles.
Contacts
If you see a turtle on the beach, report your sighting here.