Flooding in Queensland damages endangered turtle nesting sites and disrupts breeding season

An environmental group in Queensland says flooding earlier this year has damaged nesting sites for endangered riverine turtles and is disrupting this year's breeding season. The group says the changes are affecting the Burnett River in Bundaberg, where the white-throated snapping turtle, known as milbi in Taribelang Bunda language, lays its eggs. It says steep banks, loose sand and lower water levels are making it harder for turtles to nest.

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WYLD Projects Indigenous Corporation, which has monitored and relocated turtle nests for the past decade, says the flood altered the riverbanks after the Burnett River peaked at Bundaberg at 7.4 metres in March. The organisation says sand was washed away in some places and deposited in others, changing the bank angle in ways that are critical for nesting. Founder and director Brad Crosbie said turtles had been coming up to nest and then deciding not to, because the conditions were no longer suitable.

The group says the impact is already visible in the number of clutches being found. It says that after a record nesting season last year, this year has started in a "devastating" way, with extremely low clutch numbers so far. WYLD Projects said it would normally have relocated about 30 clutches to predator-safe cages by this point in the season, but that has not happened.

It also said it had reinstalled predator-safe cages after losing infrastructure in the floods. The white-throated snapping turtle is found only in the Burnett, Mary and Fitzroy rivers in Queensland, making the species particularly dependent on the condition of those river systems. The group says only about 1 per cent of hatchlings survive to adulthood, which means any disruption to nesting can have long-term consequences for the population.

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The concern is not only about nesting sites but also about the turtles' food source, which the group says may also have been affected by the flooding. The situation also highlights the wider effect of flooding on river habitats, especially where species rely on specific bank shapes and water levels to breed. WYLD Projects has spent years working on nest monitoring and relocation, suggesting the current season is being measured against a long-running conservation effort rather than a one-off event.

The group's comments indicate that the flood has changed both the physical nesting environment and the practical work needed to protect eggs from predators. A Sunwater spokesperson said the organisation was working on upgrades to the Ben Anderson Barrage, which required lowering the water level for safe access. The spokesperson said Sunwater had approvals to reduce water levels and had ensured environmental requirements were met, although the supplied material cuts off before the full statement is complete.

It remains unclear how long the altered river conditions will last, how many nests will ultimately be affected, and whether the season can recover later in the year. What to watch next is whether water levels, riverbank stability and nesting activity improve enough for more clutches to be laid and relocated.

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