Garrett wants to save the turtles
Kerry-Anne Walsh, The Sydney Morning Herald 18 Jan 09;
THE world's largest sea turtle today will be placed on the threatened species list by the Federal Government.
The leatherback turtle will now be classed as endangered. Any coastal or marine development or activity that could affect the turtle will be assessed by Environment Minister Peter Garrett under national environmental protection legislation. Mr Garrett would need to be convinced that the development or activity would not threaten the turtle or measures have been taken to protect it, before approving a project.
The leatherback turtle, weighing in about 500 kilograms, is found in tropical and temperate waters off the south Queensland and NSW coasts and off West Australia's coast south of Geraldton. The species is believed to be about 100 million years old but it is estimated there are only around 34,000 adult females alive.
Mr Garrett said the Government was reviewing its recovery plan for marine turtles in Australia.
"Where appropriate, the revised plan will include more stringent measures to reflect the changes to the turtle's conservation status," he said.
Along with the turtle, Mr Garrett has added the alpine Sphagnum bog and associated fens to the national threatened species list.
A further 18 new species and four more ecological communities, including nine snail species, will now be classified endangered.
Australia lists world's largest sea turtle as endangered
Yahoo News 17 Jan 09;
SYDNEY (AFP) – Australia on Sunday listed the world's largest sea turtle, the leatherback, as endangered due to the threats posed by overfishing and the unsustainable harvesting of its eggs and meat.
The leatherback turtle, previously listed only as vulnerable, was one of a group of plants and animals registered as endangered by Environment Minister Peter Garrett.
The turtle, which averages about 1.6 metres (5.2 feet) in length and weighs between 250 and 700 kilograms (550 and 1,540 pounds), is found in tropical and temperate waters around Australia.
"The uplisting is mainly due to the ongoing threats the turtle faces from unsustainable harvesting of egg and meat and pressures from commercial fishing outside Australian waters," Garrett said.
Also upgraded to critically endangered were nine species of snails, Bornemissza's stag beetle, which is found on the southern island of Tasmanian, three types of orchids and five other plants.
Garrett said these species would have increased protection, "ensuring that certain projects or activities which could significantly impact on them will now need to be thoroughly assessed and approved before they can go ahead."
Endangered list grows as slow and steady lose the race
Deborah Smith, Sydney Morning Herald 19 Jan 09;
AFTER surviving for more than 100 million years, the world's largest sea turtle has been placed on the national threatened species.
Leatherback turtles, which are found in waters off NSW as well as south Queensland and Western Australia, can grow up to 1.6 metres in length and 700 kilograms.
The Environment Minister, Peter Garrett, said yesterday that the turtles, which had previously been classified as vulnerable, were now considered an endangered species.
"The uplisting is mainly due to the ongoing threat the turtle faces from unsustainable harvesting of egg and meat, and pressures from commercial fishing outside Australian waters," he said.
The move meant that any projects or activities that could have an effect on the reptiles would need to be assessed and approved by the Federal Government before they could go ahead.
It is estimated that only about 2800 adult female turtles remain in the western Pacific region, and their numbers are expected to decline due to other risks, including boat strikes and choking on plastic bags and other marine debris.
A NSW orchid and a Bankstown shrub, as well as alpine bogs, grasslands and woodlands across the state, were also among the 19 species and five ecological communities that the Department of Environment listed as critically endangered or endangered.
The critically endangered kangaloon sun orchid, which has dark blue flowers, is found in only three locations near Robertson in the Southern Highlands, and fewer than 50 mature plants of the critically endangered Hibbertia shrub remain near Bankstown Airport.
The survival of five species of snail on Norfolk Island and four on Lord Howe Island is also threatened by factors including the invasion of weeds into their habitats and predation by introduced rats, birds and ants.
Mr Garrett said alpine peat moss bogs, which occurred along streams and wet valley edges and floors in NSW, the ACT and Tasmania, also needed to be protected. "This ecological community provides essential habitat for several species of nationally threatened plants and animals, in particular the southern corroboree frog and the baw baw frog, which breed in Sphagnum moss."
The bogs were also an important water source for rivers including the Murray and Murrumbidgee, but would be put under more pressure as temperatures climbed due to climate change.
