The Cities of Wanneroo and Joondalup, with support from Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, joined Murdoch University’s Saving our Snake-necked Turtle Program to engage the community to protect Southwestern Snake-necked Turtles at Lake Joondalup.
The unique challenge for Lake Joondalup is the size of the wetland, being the largest freshwater lake within the Perth metropolitan area, with a 16km perimeter to be patrolled by our volunteer team on foot. The Joondalup-Wanneroo Turtle Tracker team involves 70-80 volunteers each year.
The two established Friends Groups in the area – Woodvale Waters Friends of Beenyup Channel and Friends of Yellagonga Regional Park – became local program stewards in 2024 to help with project logistics. The two Friends Groups worked together to assist new volunteers, monitoring the WhatsApp chat, providing training, and distributing equipment.
Together, the Turtle Tracker Team has worked collaboratively across a very large area to successfully protect nearly 200 nests and 400 turtles over the spring 2024 turtle nesting season. This collaborative effort has given these turtles the best chance at survival and has provided positive and meaningful community engagement opportunities.