The Turtle Friendly Climate Resilient Coastlines project supports community-led coastal restoration and turtle conservation on Magnetic Island. In partnership with the Magnetic Island Network for Turtles (MINT), the project engages local volunteers in monitoring turtle nesting sites, assessing coastal changes, and contributing valuable data for long-term environmental management.

The project contributes to environmental and community values by improving biodiversity, reducing weed prevalence, and restoring the natural aesthetic of the coastal environment. Targeted weed management focuses on removing invasive grasses and weeds that inhibit native vines and groundcovers from establishing. By removing weeds before flowering, the project prevents replenishment of the soil seed bank and reduces future weed pressure. All restoration works are conducted without the use of chemicals to minimise disturbance and protect existing native species.

Through the Magnetic Island Land Management Tool, the project applies a structured, evidence-based approach to prioritising restoration works that enhance turtle nesting habitats and protect vulnerable coastal zones. Community members gain practical skills in vegetation management, turtle monitoring, and data collection—empowering them to actively support climate resilience and the long-term protection of the Great Barrier Reef’s coastal ecosystems.

Outcomes achieved:

• Reduction of 90% of weeds across 17 site
• Achieved successful establishment of desirable native species replacing weeds, supporting turtle nesting activity at 16 of 17 sites.
• 8 turtles successfully nested in the areas where we had removed the siratro, with 100% hatchling survival.

So far Magnetic Island has recorded 14 nests on the island this year, 12 of which were located at Nelly Bay. A flatback turtle was observed attempting to nest at three sites within the revegetated dune area, selecting positions near Casuarina and Beach Almond roots, indicating positive behavioural interaction with stabilised habitat. While the turtle did not complete nesting at these sites, she successfully nested the following evening near the Nomads area, demonstrating continued availability of suitable nesting habitat adjacent to restoration works. These observations suggest that dune revegetation in this area is functioning as intended, supporting natural nesting behaviour while strengthening dune resilience, and ongoing monitoring will continue to inform adaptive management of vegetation density and access within other priority nesting zone.

Project outcomes can be downloaded:

Turtle Friendly Photo Monitoring Report_Oct 2025

Magnetic Island Land Management Tool

We would like to thank all the Envite Environment staff involved in the project and our supporting partners MINT (Magnetic Island Network for Turtles), Townsville City Council and Queensland Parks and Wildlife. The project has been funded by the partnership between the Australia Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation under the Climate Accelerator Grant and also supported by Port of Townsville Limited