Greens candidate for the seat of Keppel in Queensland, Paul Bambrick, says the plans for a Great Keppel Island resort are not worth reviewing.

Rockhampton Regional Development Limited says a State Government decision to conserve Lot 21 on the island was flawed because the public were not shown the developer's plans.

Tower Holdings had planned to use the land as part of a $2.6 billion resort redevelopment.

Mr Bambrick says Tower Holdings' plans would destroy the island.

"It really doesn't look like Great Keppel Island anymore.

"People like it the way it is. It is a beautiful place," he said.

"People go there, people use it as it is. We have full access to it now.

"If it becomes a mega resort it's just for the mega rich. Local people I don't think would really embrace it."

http://www.greatkeppelisland.biz/great_keppel_island_news.htm

Note: the picture at top was taken a long time ago by Gus at Mon Repos Beach... near Bundaberg. Keppel Island "may or may not be" a known nesting site for turtles but it's definitely on their feeding route.

An ailing giant turtle revered as a symbol of Vietnam's independence has been captured for medical treatment.

Thousands of people crowded around a lake in the capital Hanoi as about 50 rescuers swam and used boats to pull nets around it.

The turtle, which is believed to be more than 100 years old, has open sores on its neck and legs.

Its plight has made headlines in Vietnam for several months but it evaded earlier rescue attempts.

It is feared that rubbish and pollution in Lake Hoan Kiem may have caused its wounds.

Another theory is that the sacred reptile, which weighs about 200kg (440 pounds), has been injured by fishermen's hooks and other smaller turtles over the course of several years.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12952474

In regard to "Lot 21, the proposed development on Great Keppel Island", there are some blatant anomalies. My sources are indicating that most (all) residents in the region are opposed to it — apart from one single fellow who has moved-in recently and praises the merit of overdevelopment.

Apparently too, there is a small resort operator on the island who after closing down his operation for a few months was threatened with the revoking of his "lease"... Meanwhile the promoter of the huge developement on "lot 21" has another small resort on the other side of the island that he has been closed for 2 years but the "authorities have been inconsistent" on this closure...

It is for all of us to write to the Honorable Tony Burke, Minister for the environment etc, at [email protected] to make sure he does not approve the third version of the new proposed development on Great Keppel Island... (version one and two were rejected by Peter Garrett when he was the minister for the same portofolio) ... And, maybe, Tony Burke should start an investigation on "who's in whose pocket?" for this thingter having gone that far, including in the Queensland government or the Queensland public service... But then don't touch the mud if there is no need to... Just oppose...

The coastline of north Queensland is usually picture perfect in winter, but there is a problem in the shallows.

Over the past few months sick, lethargic and sometimes dead sea turtles have been washing up onto the region's beaches.

Experts are trying to find out what is killing off the animals, but they suspect years of extreme weather may be playing a role and events like Cyclone Yasi have destroyed large tracts of essential seagrass.

Dead and dying turtles washing up on shore is becoming a regular sight for Barbara Gibbs, who lives on Magnetic Island off the coast of Townsville.

"My daughter and I were so excited seeing this large number of turtles in close, but they just kept hanging in close," she said.

"When we were over our first initial excitement, my daughter remembered that a marine biologist had told her the night before about this problem and them hanging in close like that, because they were right up to our feet, that that meant that they were dying."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-07-22/queensland-university-sea-turtle-study/2805622

see also : http://www.yourdemocracy.net.au/drupal/node/12048

Loggerhead turtles take almost half a century to reach maturity, say scientists.

A female turtle, the researchers report in the journal Functional Ecology, will not start to lay eggs until she is 45.

This estimate, based on examination of several decades of data on the turtles' growth, has implications for conservation efforts.

It reveals how long it takes for turtles hatched at a protected nesting site to return to that site to breed.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/15625291

see picture (by Gus, c 1070s, cartooned 2011) and article at top...

It's more than nine months since floods and cyclones battered Queensland, but the fallout is still being felt in the natural environment.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-11-14/turtles-and-dugongs-in-danger-from-flood-effects/3666092?WT.svl=news4

THE Great Barrier Reef World Heritage area should be redrawn to exclude Gladstone Harbour, says the Ports Corporation responsible for the nation's biggest dredging operation, which is being blamed for an explosion in fish disease and deaths.

The multi-billion-dollar Curtis Island liquefied natural gas project within the World Heritage-listed area in Gladstone has raised alarm at UNESCO headquarters in Paris and prompted a delegation to visit Australia in March to review the impact of all proposed resource developments along the Queensland coastline.

In response, Gladstone Ports Corporation chairman Ian Brusasco has written to all state and federal MPs asking them to consider redrawing the World Heritage area boundary, which extends to the low-water mark, to match the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which ends offshore.

Work is already under way to dredge 46 million tonnes of sediment from Gladstone Harbour as part of the $30 billion Curtis Island project to export coal-seam gas to Asia. A sharp rise in diseased fish and crustaceans in Gladstone since dredging work began to allow LNG carriers to access the harbour has caused widespread anger. The Ports Corporation insists the dredging is not responsible for the fish disease and deaths, which it says started before dredging commenced. Large numbers of dead turtles, dugongs and dolphins have been discovered along the Queensland coastline this year but authorities say this has been due to loss of feeding grounds as a result of last summer's floods.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/fish-deaths-dredge-up-great-barrier-reef-heritage-row/story-fn59niix-1226233662445

see above and at top...

The Greens say the Gladstone Ports Corporation is trying to remove its harbour from the World Heritage list so it can avoid international scrutiny about its dredging operations.

The World Heritage Committee is sending a team to Australia to investigate the $16 billion LNG site at Gladstone and a massive port expansion along the east coast.

The Gladstone Ports Corporation has sent a letter to state and federal MPs asking them to support moves to remove the harbour from the conservation list.

Greens Senator Larissa Waters says it is the latest dirty tactic being used to justify dredging which is suspected of killing marine life in the region.

"This latest letter by the Gladstone Ports Corporation asking for the Harbour to be removed from World Heritage listing is frankly just an admission that this dredging is an environmental disaster," she said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-02/anger-over-moves-to-delist-gladstone-harbour/3754748

Scientists say ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald has killed thousands of turtle eggs and hatchlings at one of Queensland's biggest rookeries.

The Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage says galeforce winds and high tides have destroyed turtle nests at Mon Repos near Bundaberg.

An estimated 46,000 eggs have been destroyed.

Chief scientist Col Limpus says the weather came at the worst time for the young turtles.

"Galeforce winds coming in on very high tides and so it's eroded the nesting habitat for the turtles," he said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-02-08/cyclone-takes-heavy-toll-on-turtle-rookery/4508388

See picture at top...

Jairo Mora Sandoval knew his work was dangerous. The 26-year-old Costa Rican, who was paid to protect endangered leatherback sea turtles and their eggs on a Caribbean beach in the tiny Central American nation, had been threatened many times — probably by poachers, possibly by drug traffickers. Both kinds of criminals share a keen interest with conservationists in the 11-mile stretch of public sand just outside the city of Limon, in the country’s poorest province.

But in what is quickly becoming a watershed moment for environmental activists, Mora was kidnapped with four foreign volunteers and killed Friday, the first slaying anyone can remember among the legions who flock to eco-friendly Costa Rica to help protect endangered species. The four female volunteers, three from the United States and one from Spain, were tied up and robbed but left unharmed.

The killing already has begun to scare away volunteers, many of whom are young Americans, according to Mora’s nonprofit employer. Some believe the slaying could even affect the Costa Rican economy, which depends heavily on eco-tourism. It has drawn reaction from the Costa Rican president and the U.S. Embassy and has prompted a meeting of interested organizations held by the Costa Rican Ministry of the Environment on Tuesday.

The slaying also is seen as another sign that drug trafficking, once a small concern in Costa Rica, could be encroaching on a nation that prides itself on the many ways it is different from the rest of Central America.

“The work of protecting nesting beaches is basically done by nonprofit organizations and individuals who donate their time and resources to help. This entire conservation strategy is at risk,” said Todd Steiner, executive director of the Turtle Island Restoration Network in Olema, Calif. “It’s critical that the whole world pays attention to this and assures that these murderers are brought to justice and there is a commitment from the government to protect individuals, the endangered species and the tourists who basically make the economy of Costa Rica work.”

Steiner’s organization and other conservation groups have pledged a $12,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of Mora’s killers. 

“We’ve never experienced anything remotely like this,” said David Godfrey, executive director of the Sea Turtle Conservancy in Gainesville, Fla., the 54-year-old organization whose founder, Archie Carr, is considered the father of sea turtle protection efforts. “. . . We’re all still a little bit in shock and trying to figure out how best to respond.”

Federal Parliament has rejected a Coalition bid to kill off the Government's network of marine parks.

The Coalition moved disallowance motions for all six marine parks which cover more than 2.3 million square kilometres.

But the Coalition's bid failed in Parliament on Tuesday night.

Independent MP Rob Oakeshott had earlier said he would not back the Coalition's moves.

"Even though I'm a [recreational] fisher with my family, I actually see more fish in the water as a good thing not a bad thing," he said.

"I would have thought logically that is an argument to support protection of breeding grounds and more fish in the water."

Environment Minister Tony Burke says oil and gas drilling would have become legal again in iconic areas if the Coalition kills off Labor's marine parks network.

He says the Coalition tried to wreck the creation of the world's largest network of marine reserves.

"They have absolute consistency when the choice is whether or not you protect the ocean - their choice is not to, our choice is to protect the ocean."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-04/coalition-motion-to-kill-off-marine-reserve-parks-fails/4733306

In a desperate bid to save one of the world's most endangered animals, conservationists are taking the controversial step of defacing the last survivors.

Ploughshare tortoises are highly prized for their distinctive gold and black shells and fetch exceptionally high prices on the international black market.

Efforts to steal the animals from their native Madagascar are so relentless that there may only be less than 500 left.

So the tortoises are now having their shells permanently engraved with a large serial number together with the initials "MG" for Madagascar.

The hope is that deliberately making the animals less attractive will reduce or even eliminate demand for them.

When the idea was first raised, it faced vigorous opposition from many in the conservation movement, the Madagascar government and also staff within the charity involved, the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust.

Carving into the ploughshares' shells to disfigure them is the equivalent of removing all horns from rhinos or tusks from elephants to stop those animals from being poached.

Richard Lewis, director of Durrell's operations in Madagascar, told the BBC that "we hate doing it but it's got to be done to help save the species".

"It goes against every grain and gene in our bodies to do this - everything says we shouldn't do this, what we believe in, what we stand for.

"But we think this can be a major step in stopping people wanting these animals. We believe this will be a genuine deterrent."

According to Mr Lewis, campaigners fighting animal trafficking had spoken to several traders who had made clear that there would be no market for tortoises that had been engraved.

The etching is several millimetres deep and only penetrates the shell, rather than the more sensitive bone underneath, and Durrell staff are convinced that while the process may be uncomfortable for the animals, it does not hurt them.  

read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-33096261

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Wildlife traffickers based in Indonesia sell ploughshare tortoises from Madagascar for $4,000 on the global black market.

The ploughshare tortoise is one of the world’s most endangered animals.

See all prices of exotic and endangered animals for sale.

Great Keppel Island off Rockhampton in central Queensland is slowly bouncing back, almost six months after Cyclone Marcia damaged beaches and caused holiday homes to fall into the ocean.

This week the Livingston Shire Council and local businesses launched a huge clean-up effort.

Owner of Great Keppel Hideaways, Sean Appleton, was on the island when the category five system hit on February 20.

"About three days prior we were wondering whether we were going to get it or not, and then obviously after three days it zeroed in on us, and came straight through and took about another 12 metres of beach front," he said.

read more: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-18/work-continues-to-rebuild-great-keppel-island-central-qld/6630380