Local researcher calls on Wangaratta to help protect freshwater turtles

A La Trobe University researcher is calling on Wangaratta residents to help protect freshwater turtles as fox predation, habitat change, road deaths and changing river conditions continue to put pressure on local populations. Dr Ligia Pizzatto, a postdoctoral researcher at La Trobe University’s Research Centre for Freshwater Ecosystems in Albury-Wodonga, is working with citizen scientists, schools, Traditional Owners and Landcare groups on a project designed to teach foxes to avoid turtle eggs. Her research focuses on taste aversion, a method that involves placing specially prepared eggs in nesting areas so foxes associate eating buried eggs with feeling sick. The aim is to develop a scientifically tested approach that local communities can use to reduce predation on turtle nests. “We aim to create a scientifically proven to work method based on taste aversion to help manage fox predation on turtle nests, and that local communities can actually use,” Dr Pizzatto said. “In very simple terms, my team is teaching foxes not to eat eggs that are buried in the ground of wetlands.” The work has particular relevance in Wangaratta, where Mullinmur Billabong and surrounding waterways provide habitat for the region’s three freshwater turtle species: the eastern long-neck turtle, the broad-shelled turtle and the Murray River or short-neck turtle. The broad-shelled turtle and Murray River turtle are listed as endangered under Victoria’s Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act. “Many people don’t even realise they are there, in the waterways in their backyards and parks,” Dr Pizzatto said. Dr Pizzatto said the Wangaratta region had the potential to be “turtle heaven” because of its many waterways, but local nesting sites were under heavy pressure. Foxes are one of the most severe threats. Dr Pizzatto said they are highly efficient at finding buried nests and can return repeatedly once they locate a food source. “A single fox is enough to destroy all nests of the season, and then they move on to another site and do the same,” she said. At Mullinmur Billabong, early trial work showed how quickly foxes can take eggs. In autumn 2026, about 30 untreated eggs were buried around the billabong. Within two weeks, 75 per cent had been taken by foxes. Four weeks after monitoring began, foxes were taking 97 per cent of the eggs being buried. When aversive eggs were introduced, predation dropped to less than 10 per cent within two weeks and stayed below 30 per cent for about nine weeks. “The general trend is common for the broader region of the south-east Murray Basin: lack of young turtles,” Dr Pizzatto said. Dr Pizzatto said surveys at Mullinmur reflected a broader pattern across the south-eastern Murray Basin: young turtles are scarce, even where adult turtles and nesting activity remain. “Even though turtles usually live a long time, if there are no hatchlings, or too few, populations cannot grow,” she said. Freshwater turtles play an important ecological role in rivers, wetlands and billabongs, Dr Pizzatto described them as “water cleaners” because they feed on algae, small animals and carcasses, including dead fish. She said healthy turtle numbers helped waterways function properly, particularly at a time when fish kills and algal blooms were becoming more common. While yabbies and freshwater shrimps consume smaller material, turtles can help clean up larger dead fish. “Getting turtle populations to flourish again will help keeping our waterways healthy, which is vital for our own survival,” she said. The pressures on turtles extend beyond foxes. Dr Pizzatto said altered water flows, dams, droughts, floods, road deaths and historic culling had all contributed to population declines in Australia and overseas. In Wangaratta, the research has drawn support from the Wangaratta Landcare and Sustainability group, Borinya Wangaratta Community Partnership, Bangerang people, North East Catchment Management Authority, Fisheries and researchers from several institutions. Dr Pizzatto said community reporting and local action were vital. The 1 Million Turtles program, led by Professor James Van Dyke and researchers from other universities in New South Wales, provides online training for people who want to help turtles safely cross roads or protect nests with mesh covers. Residents can also use the TurtleSat app to record live or dead turtle sightings and report intact or disturbed nests. Dr Pizzatto said the data helped researchers identify hotspots for turtle activity and focus conservation efforts. “The power of the community to help on conservation and research is enormous,” she said. Dr Pizzatto said anyone interested in helping with future taste aversion experiments could contact her at L.PizzattodoPrado@latrobe.edu.au, with new trials expected to begin this spring.

Local researcher calls on Wangaratta to help protect freshwater turtles

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