Great Barrier Reef island turtle rehabilitation

Photo: Tropical North Queensland

Fitzroy Island Resort, in North Queensland, Australia, is offering guests the opportunity to help care for injured turtles and assist with monitoring the Great Barrier Reef as part of a new citizen science programme. 

Fitzroy Island is a National Park located 45 minutes from Cairns, and within the waters of the Great Barrier Reef. 

The Reef is the world's largest coral reef system, bringing together 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands. 

Fitzroy Island Resort is a leader in the field of protecting the coral reef and its inhabitants and its Foundation offer guests a behind-thescenes hands-on experience at the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre (CTRC). 

They can help care for the sea turtles and to assist with the coral restoration work. 

The Great Barrier Reef is home to six of the world’s seven species of marine turtles and the CTRC cares for any injured turtles.

The full day experience includes careful involvement in the coral nursery project which is developing coral restoration on the reef. 

Corals grow significantly faster in the nurseries than on the reef. 

After 6-12 months in a nursery, cuttings are taken from each of the growing corals and planted to regenerate damaged sections of the reef and strengthen resilience. 

The original corals remain in the nurseries to re-grow and the process becomes a continuous cycle. 

 www.fitzroyisland.com and www.tropicalnorthqueensland.org.au. 

 Sarah Barnett at sarah@sarahbarnettpr.co.uk