Robson, Natalie, Grech, Alana, Thums, Michele, Day, Joanna, Hooper, Garnet, Palmer, Carol, Kakadu Rangers, Garig Gunak Barlu National Park Rangers, Larrakia Land and Sea Rangers, Gumurr Marthakal Rangers, Tiwi Rangers, Kenbi Rangers, Garngi Community Rangers, Mardbalk Marine Rangers, and Banks, Sam (2026) A participatory spatial risk assessment of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) with indigenous rangers in northern Australia. Biodiversity and Conservation, 35. 117.

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Abstract

Coastal marine species and ecosystems face increasing pressure from anthropogenic threats. Green turtles (Chelonia mydas), listed as Vulnerable in Australia, are ecologically important and culturally significant for Indigenous Traditional Owners. This study co-developed a spatial risk assessment with eight Indigenous ranger groups to assess threats to green turtles in waters of Australia’s Northern Territory. Six anthropogenic hazards (comprising 11 threats) were mapped and combined with turtle occupancy, derived from the satellite tracks of 45 green turtles, to quantify threat exposure. Expert knowledge from Indigenous rangers on the impact and occurrence of 24 threats was combined to assess turtle vulnerability, generating a spatially explicit map of relative risk. Darwin Harbour had the highest concentration of overlapping threats, including artificial light, recreational vessels, oil infrastructure and shipping. Turtle vulnerability varied by region, reflecting local knowledge. Nest predation (West Arnhem, Tiwi Islands), sea-level rise, traditional hunting and industrial pollution had the highest threat scores. Foraging turtles were concentrated in eight areas, and Channel Island (Darwin Harbour) posed the highest relative risk for foraging turtles. Migration routes near Darwin Harbour and Bynoe Harbour were risk hotspots. Mixed-effects analyses showed that perceived vulnerability was structured primarily by threat type, with ranger experience contributing to variation in threat perceptions, highlighting the importance of retaining experienced Indigenous rangers for effective place-based conservation. Integrating Indigenous knowledge with spatial data, the study identifies high-risk areas for a culturally and ecologically important species and supports targeted management and sustained investment in Indigenous ranger programs amid increasing climate and industrial pressures.

Item ID:	91311
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1572-9710
Copyright Information:	This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Funders:	Australian Research Council (ARC)
Projects and Grants:	ARC LP200100222
Date Deposited:	29 Apr 2026 02:19
FoR Codes:	31 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 3103 Ecology > 310305 Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology) @ 30% 45 INDIGENOUS STUDIES > 4503 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander environmental knowledges and management > 450307 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander marine environment science @ 40% 31 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 3103 Ecology > 310301 Behavioural ecology @ 30%
SEO Codes:	18 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT > 1802 Coastal and estuarine systems and management > 180201 Assessment and management of coastal and estuarine ecosystems @ 40% 18 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT > 1805 Marine systems and management > 180502 Assessment and management of pelagic marine ecosystems @ 40% 21 INDIGENOUS > 2104 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage and culture > 210404 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge @ 20%
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