Dugongs and sea turtles at risk after Queensland floods wipe out seagrass, study shows

Beached turtle on sand bank that used to have seagrass. Researchers say floodwaters wiped out one of the largest seagrass meadows in eastern Australia. Photograph: James Cook University’s TropWATER Centre

Catastrophic floods earlier this year wiped out one of the largest and most important seagrass meadows in eastern Australia, increasing the risk that dugongs and sea turtles will become stranded, according to researchers.

Scientists from James Cook University monitored the health of seagrass meadows across 2,300 square kilometres of Hervey Bay and the Great Sandy Strait in southern Queensland.