FRASER COAST CHRONICLE (Australia) 25 September 09 Turtle power takes centre stage (Carlie Walker)
The Mary River turtle is one of a kind - and that is why it must be protected, says leading international zoologist Peter Pritchard.
A keynote speaker at the Turtle and Tortoise Conservation and Biology Symposium, held in America last month, Dr Pritchard is concerned about the impact the proposed Traveston Crossing dam would have on the rare turtle.
“If we lose the Mary River turtle the world will lose not only a species but a whole genus.
“It would be a tragedy if the proposed Traveston Crossing dam resulted in the world losing a species which has only been known to science for such a short period,” Dr Pritchard, a former Time Magazine “Hero of the Planet,” said.
Marilyn Connell, from Tiaro Landcare, attended the symposium and said it was great to see the “bum-breathing” turtle, which was only discovered 15 years ago, attracting so much attention internationally.
She has been researching and protecting both the Mary River turtle and the white-faced snapping turtle, which is also found in the Mary River, since 1998.
Tiaro Landcare was congratulated on its conservation efforts at the symposium.
“As far as conservation is concerned, people are the problem and people are the only solution,” Dr Pritchard said.
Turtle power takes centre stage