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Saving the endangered Mary River turtle: Enhancing conservation outcomes through community engagement |
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| Authors: | Mariana A. Campbell Marilyn J. Connell Natalie J. Clark Tom Espinoza Samantha P. Flakus Sydney J. Collett John Cann Craig E. Franklin Hamish A. Campbell |
| Affiliation: | 1. Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia;2. Tiaro & District Landcare Group, Tiaro, Queensland, Australia Contribution: Conceptualization (equal), Data curation (lead), Methodology (supporting), Project administration (supporting), Validation (equal), Visualization (supporting), Writing - original draft (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal);3. GHD, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia Contribution: Data curation (equal), Investigation (supporting), Methodology (supporting), Validation (supporting), Writing - original draft (equal), Writing - review & editing (supporting);4. Burnett Mary Regional Group, Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia Contribution: Investigation (supporting), Methodology (supporting), Validation (supporting), Writing - original draft (equal), Writing - review & editing (supporting);5. Department of Environment and Science, Gympie, Queensland, Australia Contribution: Investigation (supporting), Methodology (supporting), Validation (supporting), Writing - original draft (equal), Writing - review & editing (supporting);6. Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia Burnett Mary Regional Group, Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia Contribution: Investigation (supporting), Methodology (supporting), Validation (supporting), Writing - original draft (supporting), Writing - review & editing (supporting);7. Tiaro & District Landcare Group, Tiaro, Queensland, Australia Contribution: Investigation (supporting), Validation (supporting), Writing - original draft (supporting), Writing - review & editing (supporting);8. The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia Contribution: Conceptualization (supporting), Investigation (supporting), Validation (supporting), Writing - original draft (equal), Writing - review & editing (supporting);9. Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia Contribution: Conceptualization (lead), Data curation (lead), Formal analysis (lead), Investigation (lead), Methodology (lead), Validation (equal), Visualization (supporting), Writing - original draft (lead), Writing - review & editing (equal) |
| Abstract: | Australian biodiversity is facing an extinction crisis; yet, government spending on conservation is wholly inadequate. The involvement of local communities in fundraising, direct actions, and habitat restoration is becoming vital in the fate of threatened species. Here, we review the research outputs and impact generated from 22 years of conservation-driven collaboration between researchers and a local community focused on saving the endangered Mary River turtle (Elusor macrurus). The study found that this collaboration generated a significant body of research that advanced the ecological knowledge of the species and ensured the findings were being applied towards the conservation of the turtle, locally and nationally. While the national listing status of E. macrurus as endangered has not changed over the past 22 years, the knowledge gained about the turtle's biology and its use to better advise development and water resources in the catchment suggests that the species' future is brighter than when it was first discovered in 1994. This review demonstrates the potential of local communities in driving and supporting conservation initiatives and provides a blueprint for scientific endeavours that inform adaptive community conservation programmes for threatened species. |
| Keywords: | Australia citizen science conservation Elusor macrurus freshwater turtle management threatened species |