6th Australian Marine Turtle Symposium 2024, Townsville QLD

The 6th Australian Marine Turtle Symposium was held in Townsville, Queensland, from 13–15 October 2024, bringing together marine turtle researchers, conservation practitioners, Indigenous ranger groups, students, government agencies, wildlife carers and community volunteers from across Australia and internationally.

Hosted on the coast of the northern Great Barrier Reef region, the symposium provided a valuable opportunity to share the latest research, management initiatives and conservation successes focused on marine turtles and their habitats. The program featured over 40 presentations spanning a diverse range of topics including climate change impacts, nesting ecology, foraging habitat studies, population genetics, toxicology, rehabilitation and stranding response, citizen science, tourism management, emerging technologies and conservation policy.

A keynote presentation by Dr Col Limpus explored the testing of climate change hypotheses across the 50+ years of marine turtle research. A keynote speech by Jim Gatson, Eddie Smallwood and Dr Ellen Ariel highlighted 15 years of achievements from the Gudjuda Turtle Project. Indigenous-led conservation initiatives featured prominently throughout the program, showcasing successful partnerships between Traditional Owners, ranger groups and researchers in protecting marine turtle populations across northern Australia.

The symposium highlighted innovative research approaches including drone-based monitoring, acoustic telemetry, migration corridor analysis, photo-identification techniques and advances in marine turtle toxicology and health assessment. Presentations also examined contemporary conservation challenges such as light pollution, marine debris, shark control programs, climate-driven changes to nesting environments and the management of marine wildlife strandings.

Townsville provided an ideal venue for delegates to discuss the future of marine turtle conservation within Australia and the broader Indo-Pacific region. The strong representation of students and early-career researchers alongside established scientists reflected the continued growth and diversity of the marine turtle conservation community.

The 2024 Symposium reinforced the importance of collaboration between researchers, Indigenous communities, government agencies, conservation organisations and volunteers to ensure the long-term protection and recovery of marine turtle populations. The event continued the Australian Marine Turtle Symposium’s tradition of fostering knowledge exchange, professional networks and partnerships that support marine turtle conservation throughout the region.