The southwestern snake-necked turtle Chelodina oblonga, endemic to southwestern Australia, is experiencing unprecedented population declines and habitat loss due to climate change and urbanisation. As a result, active conservation measures such as translocation are required. However, this species' response to translocation is poorly understood. The aims of this study were to 1) document the post-translocation movements of C. oblonga and determine if sex, size, or release site influenced post-translocation movement behaviour; 2) assess the viability of translocation as a conservation tool for C. oblonga and 3) make recommendations for improving translocations of freshwater turtles and identify avenues for future research.
A population of C. oblonga in an industrial wetland due to be infilled were in need of immediate conservation action to limit mortalities. Translocation was undertaken and 268 C. oblonga were hard-released (i.e. without an in-situ acclimation period) into two nearby wetlands. Forty of the 268 translocated individuals (20 per wetland) were radio tracked for 228 days after translocation and their movement behaviours analysed. The majority (54%, n = 20) of tracked turtles exhibited permanent movement out of their respective release sites, and 38% (n = 14) homed back to their original wetland at some point during the tracking period. It was determined that release site selection is likely the most important factor in retaining translocated turtles, and soft release translocations may also improve retention rates at translocation sites.
Translocation of these C. oblonga mitigated almost certain mortality of the entire population at the development site. However, efforts to measure the overall success of the translocated populations at release sites revealed the lack of any framework or standard model to quantify the success of freshwater turtle translocations. This study revealed that further research into the responses of freshwater turtles to translocation is required in order to improve conservation outcomes.