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Namoi River Saw-shelled Turtle (Myuchelys bellii)

The Namoi River Saw-shelled Turtle is an endangered, short-necked freshwater turtle restricted to upland streams in the Namoi, Gwydir and Border Rivers catchments of New South Wales and south-eastern Queensland. Development works near permanent pools, riffles, riparian vegetation and nesting areas can affect adults, hatchlings, nests and the flow conditions needed to connect pool habitats.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Endangered.

New South Wales, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Endangered.

Breeding season

Namoi River Saw-shelled Turtles nest mainly from September to December. Eggs may remain in riverbank nests into autumn, hatchlings enter streams from late January to late March, and adults shelter at depth during winter. Avoid clearing nesting banks during the nesting and incubation period, and inspect aquatic refuges before winter works or dewatering.

Reproductive mode: Egg laying. Females lay one terrestrial clutch each year.

Clutch size: 8 to 23 eggs in the species account, and 8 to 30 eggs in nest protection guidance. The recorded average is 18.3 eggs.

Incubation: 49 to 51 days in the species account. Field guidance records 60 to 90 days or more, with flooding able to extend incubation.

Size at hatching: Average carapace length 26.7 mm, average carapace width 26.8 mm, and mass 3.5 to 6.0 g.

Age at maturity: Males mature at about 10 years and females at about 20 years.

Nest or egg sites: Bare or sparsely vegetated sand, loam or gravelly riverbank, usually within a few metres of the water and rarely more than 6 m away. The nest chamber is usually about 8 to 10 cm below the soil surface and about 8 to 10 cm deep.

Breeding frequency: Usually one clutch per year. About 78% of adult females ovulated in an average year in Bald Rock Creek.

Confirm timing with local records before works, because nesting is often triggered by rainfall and incubation and winter inactivity vary with nest conditions and water temperature.

  • Mating: Mating timing is not recorded. For planning, treat the documented September to December reproductive period as the likely mating window, without assuming mating is confined to these months.
  • Gravid females: The documents do not give a separate period for females carrying eggs. Females ovulate and lay one clutch during September to December, so nesting banks should be treated as occupied by gravid females during this period.
  • Nesting: Nesting is documented from September to December, with another source recording October to mid-January. Nests are usually within a few metres of the water and rarely more than 6 m away.
  • Incubation: Eggs remain in nests after laying. Incubation is reported as 49 to 51 days, or 60 to 90 days or more in field guidance, so late-season nests may still contain eggs until March or April.
  • Hatchlings: Hatchlings typically begin emerging from late January or mid-February and continue through late March. They then use shallow vegetated pool margins and connected shallow flows before winter.
  • Active period: The species is crepuscular during active months, forages in shallows and riffles at night, and basks on granite boulders or logs. Exact start and end dates are not recorded; July hibernation supports treating the surrounding temperate months as the active period.
  • Winter inactivity: Adults hibernate at depth during cold winter conditions. Hibernation in deep water greater than 3 m is specifically recorded when water temperatures fall to about 5 degrees Celsius in July.
  • Highest clearing risk: Risk is highest from January to April because nests may still contain eggs and hatchlings are emerging or dispersing. September to December also requires controls for nesting females, fresh nests and eggs, while winter works can disturb turtles sheltering at depth.

Identification

This is an intermediate-sized, short-necked freshwater turtle with a restricted upland distribution. Identification should be confirmed by an experienced freshwater turtle ecologist where other chelid turtles occur.

Adults are sexually dimorphic in size. Males are smaller, reaching up to 227 mm carapace length, while females reach up to 300 mm.

The species uses a short-necked body form and a saw-shelled turtle appearance. The supplied sources do not provide a full colour, head-pattern or shell-keel description, so shell and head photographs should be retained for verification.

Male maximum carapace length: 227 mm

Female maximum carapace length: 300 mm

Weight: Not stated in the supplied sources

Identification: Separating similar turtles

The species occurs in the same broad region as other freshwater turtles, so distribution, habitat and shell characters should be considered together.

Eggs and clutches cannot be reliably separated from those of the sympatric Eastern Long-necked Turtle using egg length, width, mass or clutch size alone. The later study reported an average clutch of 19.4 eggs, but clutch size overlapped substantially with Eastern Long-necked Turtle clutches.

  • Do not identify an intact or predated nest from clutch size alone.
  • Use an experienced turtle specialist for confirmation where species identity is uncertain.

Identification: Field signs and handling

Adults are associated with deep permanent pools, shallow flowing sections, riffles and pool margins. They forage in shallows and riffles at night, so live sightings are more likely during crepuscular or nocturnal activity than during the day.

Nests are terrestrial and are vulnerable to fox predation. The supplied sources do not describe diagnostic tracks, scats, calls, sloughs or eyeshine. Treat suspected nests, eggshells and hatchlings as significant records and avoid unnecessary handling.

  • Record the turtle's location, waterbody, pool or riffle setting, photographs, carapace length and sex where this can be done safely.
  • Record nest locations without exposing or repeatedly disturbing the nest.
  • Use an appropriate wildlife authority or turtle specialist for capture, containment and release decisions.

Distribution: States and catchments

The species is endemic to upland streams of the northern Murray-Darling Basin in Australia. Its known range is divided among catchments in northern New South Wales and a small area of south-eastern Queensland.

In New South Wales, the species occurs in the upper Namoi, Gwydir and Border Rivers catchments, including the Namoi and Peel, Gwydir, Severn and Deepwater systems on the Northern Tablelands.

In Queensland, the documented range includes the upper Border Rivers catchment, including Bald Rock Creek in the extreme south-east of the state.

New South Wales populations: Three discrete populations across the upper Namoi, Gwydir and Border Rivers catchments

New South Wales water sources: Records occur across 13 unregulated water sources

Queensland stronghold noted in the sources: Bald Rock Creek, Border Rivers catchment

Bioregional setting: Northern Tablelands and adjacent upland catchments

Distribution: Population status

A total national population size is not given in the supplied sources. New South Wales monitoring recorded more than 400 turtles annually across 24 sites during the Saving our Species project, but this is a survey count and not a population estimate.

The monitored trajectory was described as stable because the species is long lived. Surveys found populations dominated by large, old turtles and low juvenile recruitment, indicating that apparent stability may not represent secure long-term replacement.

Survey effort: More than 400 turtles captured annually across 24 sites during the project

Population estimate: Not stated in the supplied sources

Reported trajectory: Stable during the project, with concern about low recruitment

Legal status: Endangered under the EPBC Act and endangered in New South Wales

Habitat: Stream setting

The Namoi River Saw-shelled Turtle occupies upland streams with a mixture of deep pools and shallow flowing habitat. Habitat quality depends on permanent aquatic refuge, intact stream margins and suitable flow between pools.

Core habitat consists of streams between about 600 and 1100 m elevation with permanent pools deeper than approximately 2 m.

Preferred streams often contain granite boulders and bedrock. Underwater caverns formed by boulders, logs and overhanging banks provide important structural complexity.

The species prefers deep pools with shallow flowing sections between them. Riffles, runs and rivulets provide connected shallow habitat, particularly for hatchlings.

Elevation range: About 600 to 1100 m

Preferred pool depth: More than about 2 m

Key aquatic structure: Granite boulders, bedrock, logs, overhanging banks and underwater cavities

Habitat: Stream margins and vegetation

Lower-velocity areas may have coarse granitic sand covered by fine silt, algae and dense beds of aquatic macrophytes.

Hatchlings use shallow, vegetated pool margins. Riparian vegetation is important to stream condition, and its loss is identified as a threat.

  • Map deep pools, shallow vegetated margins, riffles and runs before works begin.
  • Retain riparian vegetation and avoid sediment delivery that could infill pools or increase turbidity.

Foraging habitat: Food

The species is a generalist omnivore that feeds in and around upland stream pools, shallows and riffles. Feeding habitat includes aquatic vegetation and stream structures that support invertebrates and crayfish.

Recorded food includes aquatic plants, algae, sponges, terrestrial fruit, aquatic insects, crayfish and carrion.

The diet is not specialised, so the species may use several food sources within the same stream reach.

Diet type: Nonspecialised omnivore

Plant food: Aquatic plants, algae and terrestrial fruit

Animal food: Sponges, aquatic insects, crayfish and carrion

Foraging habitat: Foraging locations and activity

Adults use shallows and riffle zones for night-time foraging, while deep pools provide the main adult refuge.

Hatchlings forage and search for suitable habitat along shallow vegetated margins before winter.

Adult activity: Crepuscular during active months, with night-time foraging

Known hatchling movement distance: Up to 2 km in just over two weeks

  • Survey pool edges, riffles and shallow runs during crepuscular or nocturnal turtle activity periods where daytime searches are unlikely to detect the species.
  • Retain aquatic macrophyte beds and the flow connection between pools during works planning.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding depends on accessible stream habitat for adults and suitable terrestrial nesting areas near the water. Recruitment is particularly sensitive to nest predation, flooding and the survival of hatchlings after they enter the stream.

Females generally lay one clutch per breeding season. The species has low annual reproductive output compared with many Australian freshwater turtles.

Hatchlings leave the nest and enter the water between late January and late March. They then use shallow vegetated margins and connected shallow flows before winter.

Mating period: Not stated in the supplied sources

Egg laying: September to December

Clutches per year: Usually one

Clutch size: 8 to 23 eggs in the species account; 11 to 30 eggs in a later study

Annual fecundity: Estimated at 15.1 eggs per female in the later study

Incubation: 49 to 51 days in the species account; about 60 days at a constant 27 degrees Celsius under artificial incubation

Age at maturity: Not stated in the supplied sources

Lifespan: Not stated in the supplied sources, although the species is described as long lived

Breeding habitat: Nesting and recruitment habitat

The supplied sources refer to wild nests and nesting beaches but do not specify a standard nest distance from the stream, substrate depth or vegetation structure.

Nests are exposed to very high fox predation. More than 95 percent of nests were reported to be raided by foxes, often within 48 hours of eggs being laid.

Heavy runoff can flood nests and drown eggs. Maintaining stable stream margins and avoiding sediment, ash and debris entering the channel helps protect both nests and post-hatching habitat.

  • Search likely nesting areas during the September to December laying period before ground disturbance.
  • Protect confirmed nests from disturbance, flooding and fox access in accordance with the approved management plan.
  • Maintain shallow vegetated pool edges and low flows from 1 February to 15 April to support hatchling dispersal.

Sheltering habitat: Adult refuges

Adults shelter in deep pools and use underwater cavities associated with natural stream structures. Hatchlings need shallow vegetated margins for cover, especially when pool levels fall.

Adults occupy permanent pools deeper than about 2 m and can survive long cease-to-flow periods within deep pools.

Underwater caverns formed by boulders, logs and overhanging banks are characteristic shelter features.

During inactive winter months, the species relies on aquatic respiration through cloacal bursae and hibernates at depth.

Adult refuge depth: Permanent pools deeper than about 2 m

Winter refuge: At depth within aquatic habitat

  • Treat deep pools, boulder cavities, log jams and undercut or overhanging banks as potential turtle refuges.
  • Avoid draining, isolating or infilling deep pools and retain full pool capacity before anticipated cease-to-flow periods.

Sheltering habitat: Hatchling cover

Hatchlings occupy shallow vegetated pool margins and move through shallow riffles, rivulets and runs to reach other pool habitats.

Pool drawdown and cease-to-flow periods can remove shallow cover and force hatchlings into deeper water where they have less vegetative protection from predators.

  • Retain shallow aquatic vegetation at pool edges.
  • Maintain connected shallow flow between pools during the hatchling dispersal period.
  • Inspect isolated pools and dewatered channels for turtles before pumping, draining or relocating water.

Threats: Clearing and construction

The main project risks are loss or degradation of stream and riparian habitat, altered water availability, nest predation and poor juvenile recruitment. The species is especially sensitive to impacts that remove deep pool refuge, shallow vegetated margins or flow connections between pools.

Loss of riparian vegetation, land clearing, livestock access and physical modification of streams can increase turbidity and infill deep pools.

Water resource development and associated infrastructure can remove lotic habitat or alter the flow regime. Works that isolate pools, disturb riffles or damage boulders, logs and overhanging banks can remove shelter and movement habitat.

  • Keep machinery, spoil, fuels and sediment out of pools, riffles and vegetated stream margins.
  • Avoid removing riparian vegetation, boulders, logs and undercut banks unless authorised and assessed.
  • Plan crossings and in-stream works to retain pool depth, shallow flow connections and aquatic refuge.

Threats: Hydrology and water extraction

Cease-to-flow periods break streams into disconnected pools and remove riffle habitat. Adults may survive in deep pools, but hatchlings depend on shallow vegetated edges and connected shallow flows.

Drought and increased extraction can dry river habitat. Pumping a waterhole for stock or domestic use has required turtle rescue in the past.

Hatchling flow period: 1 February to 15 April

Adult pool requirement: Full pool capacity at the start of a cease-to-flow period followed by natural pool drawdown

  • Avoid pumping or draining occupied pools without a turtle rescue and relocation plan.
  • Protect very low and low flows between 1 February and 15 April to support hatchling dispersal.
  • At the start of a cease-to-flow period, retain full pool capacity and allow natural rates of pool drawdown where water management decisions apply.

Threats: Predators, disease and other pressures

The introduced European Red Fox is the major recorded threat to recruitment. More than 95 percent of monitored nests were raided, often within 48 hours of laying.

Other recorded concerns include exotic fish, disease, translocation of other native turtle species, nest flooding, drought and water extraction.

Bushfire impacts can be indirect. After drought and fire, soil, ash and debris washed into rivers and degraded aquatic habitat.

Recorded nest predation: More than 95 percent of nests raided by foxes

Time to nest predation: Often within 48 hours of eggs being laid

Disease concern: Research has included susceptibility to Bellinger River virus

  • Use approved fox control and nest protection measures around confirmed nesting areas.
  • Do not move turtles between catchments or release other turtle species without approval from the relevant authorities.
  • Manage sediment, ash and runoff from disturbed or fire-affected ground before it reaches streams.

Survey methodology: 1. Nocturnal spotlighting

Survey work should focus on permanent or semi-permanent streams in the upper Namoi, Gwydir and Border Rivers catchments. Target deep pools, shallow vegetated margins, riffles, boulder piles, bedrock, logs and overhanging banks, particularly at elevations of 600 to 1100 metres.

Spotlight stream reaches after dusk and through the night during the active months, when adults forage in shallows and riffles. Adults may also be located in deep pools, especially where boulders, logs or overhanging banks form underwater cover.

Give priority to pool edges, riffles, shallow flowing sections between pools and dense aquatic vegetation. Record the stream reach, pool or riffle searched, start and finish times, weather, water level, visibility and all turtle observations.

The supplied documents do not prescribe a fixed number of nights, hours or transect length. Set effort to cover all suitable aquatic habitat within the project area and repeat visits where access, water level or visibility limits detection.

Preferred habitat: Permanent pools deeper than about 2 metres, with shallow flowing sections, riffles, boulders, bedrock, logs, overhanging banks or aquatic vegetation.

Activity pattern: Crepuscular during active months, with night-time foraging in shallows and riffles.

  • Use a consistent route and record the length of stream searched on each visit.
  • Avoid treating one night without a detection as evidence that the species is absent. Adults can remain in deep pools and may be inactive during unsuitable conditions.

Survey methodology: 2. Aquatic trapping and hand searches

Use aquatic turtle trapping or hand searches only under an approved wildlife survey and animal welfare method, with suitably trained and authorised personnel. Place traps in deep pools, pool margins and shallow vegetated areas, and inspect them frequently enough to prevent drowning, overheating or predation.

Search accessible pool edges, boulder cavities, submerged logs, undercut banks and aquatic vegetation by day where safe. Record the trap type, number of traps, trap locations, deployment and checking times, water depth, weather and the number of trap nights.

The supplied documents do not provide a species-specific trapping design, trap-night target or capture probability. The project ecologist should document the selected method, its justification and its limitations before fieldwork begins.

  • Keep traps partly above water or otherwise configured to provide a secure breathing platform, unless the approved method specifies another arrangement.
  • Release captured turtles at the point of capture unless the approved fauna management plan requires another action.

Survey methodology: 3. Hatchling and nesting habitat searches

Search shallow, vegetated pool margins for hatchlings between late January and late March, when hatchlings leave nests and move through shallow margins, riffles, rivulets and runs.

Inspect suitable nesting areas during the nesting period from September to December, particularly open or lightly vegetated ground close to occupied streams. Mark any nests or suspected nest sites and keep machinery, vehicles and people away until an authorised fauna specialist has assessed them.

Record nest condition, location, signs of fox predation, flooding or disturbance, and the nearby aquatic habitat. Do not excavate, move or incubate eggs unless this is authorised under the relevant conservation program and wildlife permits.

Nesting period: September to December.

Hatchling dispersal period: Late January to late March, with low and very low flows supporting movement between pools from 1 February to 15 April.

  • Survey shallow pool edges and connecting riffles as well as deep pools, because hatchlings use different habitat from adults.
  • Treat a nest or hatchling detection as a reason to review the work boundary and timing before disturbance continues.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

No fixed survey effort is specified in the supplied documents. The survey report should therefore explain the area of suitable habitat covered, the number and duration of visits, search methods, water conditions, access constraints and the basis for any conclusion about likely presence or absence.

  • Submit verified records, including reliable non-detections where required, to the relevant state wildlife database and provide the record coordinates, date, observer, method, effort and photographs where available.
  • Report all captures, injuries, mortalities, nests, hatchlings, relocations and unexpected findings to the project ecologist and the relevant approval authority.
  • Retain field sheets, photographs, trap-check records, weather observations and spatial data with the project environmental records.
  • Use the current scientific name, Myuchelys bellii, and record the common name Bell’s turtle or western saw-shelled turtle to prevent database duplication.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

Before clearing or construction, identify whether the work area contains the stream, pool and riparian features used by Bell’s turtle. Avoid direct disturbance wherever practicable, because the species has a restricted distribution and low annual reproductive output.

Retain permanent and semi-permanent pools, shallow flowing sections, riffles, aquatic vegetation, riparian vegetation, boulders, bedrock, submerged logs and overhanging banks.

Maintain movement routes between pools and avoid creating barriers across the stream channel, shallow runs or vegetated margins. Hatchlings can move upstream and downstream through shallow riffles, rivulets and runs, and have been recorded moving up to 2 kilometres in just over two weeks.

Keep sediment, spoil, concrete washout, fuel and other pollutants out of pools and flowing water. Prevent activities that increase turbidity, infill deep pools or accelerate pool drawdown.

Define no-go areas and site-specific buffers around occupied streams, nests, pool edges and refuges in the fauna management plan. The supplied documents do not provide a standard buffer distance, so the project ecologist must justify the distances used.

  • Use existing access tracks and crossings where possible.
  • Keep riparian clearing to the minimum approved footprint and retain continuous vegetation along both banks where practicable.
  • Design waterway crossings to retain pool depth, shallow flow, riffle connectivity and safe hatchling movement.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work planning

Confirm the current Commonwealth and state conservation status before work starts. The species is listed as Endangered under the EPBC Act and in New South Wales, so determine whether an EPBC referral, state approval, scientific licence, wildlife authority or other permit is required.

Schedule in-channel works and flow changes to avoid the hatchling dispersal period from 1 February to 15 April where practicable. Avoid nest disturbance during September to December and plan for the risk of nest flooding after heavy runoff.

Prepare a fauna management plan that sets out survey results, exclusion areas, authorised handlers, capture and release procedures, aquatic rescue arrangements, stop-work triggers, reporting contacts and incident forms.

Stage works so that retained pools and connected aquatic refuge remain available throughout construction. Do not drain a waterhole or pool without an approved rescue and relocation plan.

Hatchling flow period: 1 February to 15 April.

Adult refuge requirement: Maintain 100% pool capacity at the start of a cease-to-flow period, followed by natural rates of pool drawdown.

  • Include the flow requirements in the water management plan, including full pool capacity at the start of any planned cease-to-flow period and natural rates of pool drawdown.
  • Where hatchling movement is possible, protect very low to low flows between 1 February and 15 April.
  • Brief all supervisors, operators and spotter catchers on the map of retained habitat and the stop-work procedure.

Before habitat disturbance: Site preparation

Complete a pre-clearance aquatic and riparian inspection immediately before works begin, using the approved survey methods and checking all pools, shallow margins, riffles, boulder cover, logs, undercut banks and nesting areas.

Mark no-go habitat, nests, retained riparian vegetation, access routes, stock and domestic water infrastructure and any approved relocation areas on plans and on the ground.

Install exclusion fencing where it will keep machinery, vehicles, workers or livestock away from retained pools, stream margins and nest sites without blocking turtle movement between connected retained habitats.

Inspect fencing, silt controls, pumps, diversion structures and access points before each work shift. Use wildlife-permeable designs where exclusion fencing is not intended to prevent turtle movement.

  • Do not place fencing across a stream, pool connection or shallow dispersal route unless the fauna management plan has an authorised design and a daily inspection procedure.
  • Use sediment and erosion controls before soil disturbance and maintain them until the site is stable.
  • Ensure pumps and water intakes have screens and cannot trap turtles.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and machinery interface

During works, the fauna spotter catcher should control the interface between machinery, water and retained habitat. Work should stop whenever a turtle, nest or unexpected aquatic refuge is at risk.

Hold a daily pre-start briefing covering the approved work area, exclusion zones, water controls, known records, weather, flow conditions and the spotter catcher’s authority to stop work.

Keep the fauna spotter catcher in a safe position with a clear view of the active work face, pool margins, stockpiles, access routes and machinery attachments. The spotter catcher should direct operators and should not enter an unsafe area to retrieve an animal.

Use low-impact, staged work around pools and stream margins. Do not allow machinery buckets, dozers, trucks or pumps to enter retained aquatic habitat unless the approved method specifically permits it.

Inspect silt fences, pump screens, flow diversions, exclusion fencing and retained pools at the start of each shift and after rain or rapid changes in flow.

  • Use a spotter catcher who is authorised and competent to handle freshwater turtles and who understands the project approval conditions.
  • Maintain a clear separation between the operator’s swing radius and the spotter catcher.
  • Stop work before removing a boulder, log, bank section or aquatic vegetation that could conceal a turtle, nest or hatchling.

During habitat disturbance: Animals, nests and habitat features

If a Bell’s turtle is found, stop the immediate activity, keep people and machinery back, and notify the authorised fauna handler and project ecologist.

Handle turtles only when necessary to prevent injury or allow approved works to proceed, and only by a person authorised under the project approvals and wildlife permits. Keep the animal upright, shaded and cool, and minimise handling time.

Release a healthy turtle into nearby retained habitat at or close to the capture location, unless the approved fauna management plan identifies a safer connected site. Do not move it across a catchment or beyond its known local population without specific approval.

If a turtle is injured, place it in a secure, ventilated container with appropriate support and contact a veterinarian or authorised wildlife carer. Record the injury, location, time, apparent cause and transfer details.

Treat nests, eggs and hatchlings as protected fauna. Do not disturb, wash, excavate, relocate or incubate them unless directed by the authorised wildlife authority or an approved conservation program.

Before removing logs, rocks, boulders or bank material, inspect them for turtles and retain suitable features in the approved habitat area. Do not place removed material where it can enter a pool or block hatchling movement.

  • Do not pick up a turtle by the tail, limbs or head.
  • Do not place a turtle in a new waterway or isolated pool without approval and ecological advice.
  • Keep captured animals separate and label containers with the capture location and time.
  • Use clean equipment between waterways to reduce the risk of transferring pathogens.

During habitat disturbance: Stop work and records

Stop the relevant work area if a Bell’s turtle, nest, hatchling, carcass, injured animal or previously unmapped deep pool is found, or if dewatering, sediment release, pool drawdown or flow diversion could affect retained habitat.

Stop work after a spill, pump failure, fish or fauna entrapment, damaged exclusion fence, failed erosion control or unapproved change to the waterway. Resume only after the fauna spotter catcher and project ecologist confirm that controls are effective.

Record every detection and response, including coordinates, date, time, life stage, photographs, habitat, work activity, handler, condition, action taken, release location, injury or mortality and notifications.

Report incidents and mortalities under the approval conditions and to the relevant wildlife authority. Update the site risk assessment and fauna management plan when a new threat or habitat feature is identified.

  • Keep a daily fauna register even when no turtles are detected.
  • Record the number of animals captured, relocated, released, injured or killed, rather than recording only sightings.
  • Retain records of flow, pool levels, dewatering volumes, water-quality incidents and rainfall where these may affect the species.

After habitat disturbance: Completion checks

Post-work checks must confirm that retained aquatic habitat remains usable and that construction controls have not created barriers, sediment impacts or isolated pools. Monitoring should focus on recruitment, connectivity and the condition of deep-pool refuges.

Inspect the full work area after clearing, construction, dewatering or reinstatement for stranded turtles, hatchlings, nests, carcasses, damaged riparian vegetation, blocked channels and trapped animals.

Check that pools retain suitable depth, shallow margins and cover from aquatic vegetation, boulders, logs or overhanging banks. Remove temporary barriers only after the fauna spotter catcher confirms that no animal is trapped and that the site is safe.

Confirm that stream crossings, banks, drainage lines and flow diversions do not prevent movement between pools or cause excessive erosion, turbidity, pool infilling or unnatural drawdown.

Complete a post-clearance survey of retained habitat and any approved relocation area, and compare the results with the pre-work records.

  • Inspect after the first substantial rainfall and after any planned flow change.
  • Repair erosion, fencing, pump screens, sediment controls and bank damage promptly.
  • Leave approved exclusion fencing in place until the project ecologist confirms that the risk of access, entrapment or further disturbance has ended.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

Monitor retained pools, shallow vegetated margins, riffles and connecting runs using consistent spotlighting, visual search or approved trapping methods. Repeat the same routes, effort and timing where possible so results can be compared between surveys.

Include adult detections, hatchling detections, nest condition, habitat condition, water level, flow connectivity, turbidity, aquatic vegetation and evidence of fox predation in monitoring records.

Use the monitoring results to review whether the work has affected local occupancy, hatchling dispersal, pool refuge or recruitment. The NSW program found that populations were dominated by large, old individuals, so adult presence alone is not evidence of successful recovery.

  • Submit verified records and monitoring results to the relevant state wildlife database and approval authority.
  • Report mortality, failed recruitment, nest flooding, fox predation, prolonged drying or unexpected waterway impacts through the project incident process.
  • Maintain monitoring for the period required by the approval, fauna management plan or offset condition.

After habitat disturbance: Offsets and residual impacts

Apply the project’s approved offset or biodiversity condition if impacts remain after avoidance, minimisation and rehabilitation. Prioritise actions that protect the species’ known catchments, deep pools, riparian vegetation, nest sites and flow connectivity.

Document the residual habitat loss, disturbance duration, affected population or catchment, mitigation already completed and the basis for any offset or supplementary action.

Use adaptive management where monitoring shows that released hatchlings, protected nests, flow controls or riparian works are not producing the intended result.

  • Do not treat captive breeding or hatchling release as a substitute for retaining adult habitat, pools, riparian vegetation and connectivity.
  • Include fox control, nest protection and water management in any approved conservation action that is intended to address residual impacts.
  • Keep offset and rehabilitation records separate from routine construction records so their outcomes can be audited.

Rehabilitation actions: Aquatic and riparian habitat

Rehabilitation should recreate the connected pool, riffle and riparian conditions used by both adult turtles and hatchlings. It should also address the high loss of nests to foxes and the effects of drought, extraction, sediment and pool drying.

Reinstate deep pools with shallow flowing sections between them, stable riffles, shallow vegetated margins and connected runs suitable for hatchling dispersal.

Use locally native riparian and aquatic plant species suited to the relevant Namoi, Gwydir or Border Rivers catchment. The supplied documents do not identify a universal planting list, so select species with the local ecologist and land manager.

Retain or replace suitable boulders, bedrock features, submerged logs and overhanging bank cover where these features formed turtle refuges before the works.

Stabilise banks with natural materials and vegetation rather than hard structures where practicable. Prevent sediment delivery, pool infilling and excessive turbidity during establishment.

Adult habitat: Deep pools, often deeper than about 2 metres, with boulders, bedrock, logs or overhanging banks.

Hatchling habitat: Shallow vegetated pool margins, shallow riffles, rivulets and runs connecting pool habitats.

  • Do not plant or place material in a way that blocks shallow flow, riffle connectivity or hatchling movement.
  • Design drainage and crossings to avoid isolating pools during low flow or cease-to-flow periods.
  • Maintain full pool capacity at the start of an approved cease-to-flow period and allow natural rates of pool drawdown.

Rehabilitation actions: Nesting and predator management

Retain or recreate suitable nesting ground above the normal waterline near occupied streams, while avoiding areas that are likely to flood during heavy runoff.

Protect identified nests with approved exclusion or predator-control measures. More than 95% of Bell’s turtle nests in the NSW program were reported to be raided by foxes, often within 48 hours of eggs being laid.

Control foxes in accordance with the approved pest management plan and applicable animal welfare requirements. Combine predator control with nest protection, monitoring and habitat restoration.

Do not install nest boxes as a substitute for natural nesting habitat. The supplied documents do not report a nest-box method for this species.

Nesting period: September to December.

Reported nest predation: More than 95% of monitored nests were raided by foxes, often within 48 hours of laying.

  • Inspect nesting areas during September to December and record nest flooding, predation and emergence.
  • Keep domestic stock away from restored riparian margins, nests and shallow vegetated pool edges where grazing could damage cover or banks.
  • Coordinate predator control with neighbouring landholders where the project permits.

Rehabilitation actions: Fire, weeds and success measures

Manage weeds and maintain native riparian cover under the site’s approved vegetation and fire plan. The supplied documents do not provide a Bell’s turtle-specific fire interval, so avoid prescribing one without local ecological advice.

Keep restored habitat free of construction waste, excess sediment, contaminated water and invasive aquatic plants or animals. Do not introduce fish, turtles or other aquatic fauna.

Monitor restoration for pool depth and persistence, riffle and run connectivity, shallow vegetated margins, riparian survival, bank stability, turbidity, nest use, fox activity and turtle detections.

Use measurable success criteria agreed before works begin, such as survival of planted riparian vegetation, stable banks, functioning pool connections, no construction-related turtle mortality, and records of adult or hatchling use. Set the target values and monitoring period in the rehabilitation plan rather than assuming them from the supplied documents.

  • Inspect restored habitat during low flows, after rainfall and during the hatchling movement period from 1 February to 15 April.
  • Repair failed planting, erosion, barriers, sediment controls and pool connections promptly.
  • Continue monitoring until the project ecologist and approval authority agree that the habitat is stable and supports the required aquatic functions.

Sources