Research Summary
North Stradbroke Island, Queensland, Australia - Climate change and plastic waste in the ocean are among the biggest threats to the world's seven marine turtle species, all of which are at risk. Urgent measures are required to address the problem of marine pollution, particularly since the impact of human rubbish has spread far beyond Australia’s shores. Data collected will assist ground-breaking research into the impact of ingesting marine debris on turtles found in Australian waters.
Meet the Scientists
Dr Kathy Townsend
University of Queensland
Born in Calgary, Canada, Dr Kathy Townsend did a year of undergraduate study at the University of Calgary before emigrating to Australia to complete her undergraduate, Honours and PhD at The University of Queensland in Brisbane.
Dr Townsend is a marine ecologist with eclectic professional interests, including manta ray biology, mudskipper and coral reef ecology, shark reproduction, and the impact on sea turtles of ingested rubbish. Also a lecturer and Manager of Research and Education at the Moreton Bay Research Station on North Stradbroke Island, she was recently awarded the Goldring Emerging Marine Scientist Fellowship by the US-based Goldring Family Foundation, a three-year fellowship in support of her sea turtle research.
Dr Townsend has lived and worked at research stations in tropical locations for over 10 years, and one of the many roles she plays at the Lady Elliot station is that of providing care to injured marine wildlife. She regularly attends to injured turtles, dugongs and stranded marine mammals.