Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions

Tjiwarl Aboriginal Corporation held an on Country celebration to mark two important milestones under the Tjiwarl Indigenous Land Use Agreement - the historic handback in freehold of land known as Tjiwarl (Logan Springs) and the completion of the Tjiwarl Conservation Estate. The recently expanded Wanjarri Nature Reserve and the newly created national park on Tjiwarl country is jointly managed with the Tjiwarl Aboriginal Corporation and DBCA. The new 109,000 hectare national park addition to the Tjiwarl conservation estate is an important part of the Plan for Our Parks State Government Initiative.

🐢 𝗜 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻… 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗜 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘂𝗽 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻 💪 Turtle hatchlings face a risky journey from their nests to shallow offshore waters, dodging predators along the way both on the beach and in the water. Unlike other turtle species that head for the deep ocean, flatbacks stay closer to shore—but do they still use waves to navigate like the other species? Researchers tested this by placing hatchlings in a wave flume, simulating real-life conditions 🌊 The results? Flatbacks are picky about their waves, preferring fast ones to quickly escape predators. The results from this study will need to be considered when developing structures such as groynes or seawalls near turtle nesting beaches, as these structures have the potential to alter the behaviour of waves and cause baby turtles to take longer to move through predator-rich areas. This study could impact how we design coastal structures like groynes, which may alter wave patterns and affect turtle survival. 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲? 🔗 See link in comments to read the full publication: Nearshore wave characteristics as cues for swimming orientation in flatback turtle hatchlings 🎥 Video: Turtle hatchling in the waves – 𝘋𝘉𝘊𝘈, 𝘉𝘪𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘗𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘌𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭, 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘈𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘢, 𝘖𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘦, 𝘈𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦.

🔔 Last Call for Public Comments – Protecting the Swan Canning River System 🦢    The 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗳𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗬𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗻 (𝗦𝘄𝗮𝗻) 𝗗𝗷𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗼 (𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴) 𝗥𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 is open for public comment until 9 October 2024.     Stretching over 126,000 square kilometres, this vital river system is home to wildlife, and supports a wide range of recreational activities that enrich our lives and communities.    We invite you to have your say on the draft strategy to help preserve this vital ecosystem for generations to come 🌱    Link in comments to review the draft and share your thoughts 🔗 

📣 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗶𝗼𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 📣 Applications for the 𝘉𝘪𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 and 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 Summer Scholarships are now open! These scholarships are perfect for students about to commence an Honours, Masters or PhD research project, providing an $8,000 tax-free living allowance while undertaking a 12-week full-time research project alongside DBCA scientists  ▪️ 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲: Friday 25 October 2024 ▪️ 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁: Monday 2 December 2024 🔗 See link in comments for more information and how to apply.

Join us at Dyoondalup Point Walter for an exciting day of discovery and learning about the Swan Canning Riverpark. Meet scientists from the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Murdoch University, BirdLife, and the WA Fairy Tern Network. Learn about the importance of this location to the Whadjuk Noongar people and participate in interactive sessions. A light lunch is included! 📅 Thursday 26 September 2024 📍 Dyoondalup Point Walter 🎫 $10 via: https://lnkd.in/gymmnwPe Perfect for anyone aged 16+ with a curiosity for science and nature. 🍃

One of WA’s most treasured natural areas is set to receive further protection with another 183,000 hectares of land now added to the conservation estate in Shark Bay. New and existing reserves - from Monkey Mia Conservation Estate to the heritage-rich Dirk Hartog Island National Park - will now be managed by Malgana Traditional Owners, alongside Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. The joint management agreement also paves the way for new jobs enabling Malgana people to work on country protecting the region’s rich biodiversity for generations to come. The new reserve creation is part of the State Government’s Plan for our Parks initiative, which is adding five million hectares to the conservation estate in WA.

Dr Harriet Mills is the Perth Zoo Science Program Leader in DBCA's Biodiversity and Conservation Science division. DBCA scientists based at Perth Zoo are working hard behind the scenes to breed and raise several species of critically endangered native animals for release programs around the state. Hear from Dr Mills about the western swamp tortoise breeding program and how they get the animals ready for release into the wild. 🐢

Parks and Wildlife Service, Western Australia thanks everyone involved in rescuing three humpback whales entangled in fishing equipment on Monday 9 September. Two whales with entanglements around their tails were located off Perth's coast, with another near Bunbury. Hear from one of our experienced responders Vaughn Chapple who was on the frontline of freeing two 9m humpback whales off Perth's coast on Monday.

The Pilbara’s largest wetland will be protected following the creation of Fortescue Marsh Nature Reserve (Nyiyaparli Country). This is a milestone achievement, delivered through Plan for Our Parks which is securing an additional 5 million hectares of new national parks, marine parks, and other conservation reserves throughout Western Australia. DBCA will work with Traditional Owners employed by Karlka Nyiyaparli Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC to jointly manage and look after the Marsh. Thank you to everyone involved in this collaboration

Lead a NEW Nature-based tourism team! Western Australia’s parks and attractions need an Executive Director to  lead a new nature-based tourism team. To find out more or apply now, visit https://lnkd.in/gjBPy4ji Applications close at midday on Friday 20 September 2024.