Global News - August 2007
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'Unprecedented protection' for Australian turtles
Wed 22 August 2007 17:30 UK — Australasia
Green turtles on an Australian island have been awarded special protection to help ensure their survival.
Raine Island, close to the Great Barrier Reef and 620 kilometres from the city of Cairns, has become the subject of an official agreement between the Queensland Government and the National Park, reports the Brisbane Times.
The special status means that the island will only be open to scientists and local people in order to ensure that the turtles are not disturbed during the crucial breeding season, when they arrive on its shores to lay their eggs.
State environment minister Lindy Nelson-Carr confirmed that Raine Island is only the eighth area in Queensland to be granted the special status.
"Because all forms of human activity on Raine Island disturb the breeding colonies of sea-birds and turtles, it was vital that access be limited to scientific and essential management purposes and only then on a permit basis," explained Ms Nelson-Carr.
The island is also home to a number of other endangered wildlife species such as the red-tailed tropic bird.
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