Tweed Coast, NSW · Est. 2013
Community-led conservation at Cook Island Aquatic Reserve — monitoring threatened marine species, educating the next generation, and welcoming anyone who wants to help.
Cook Island Aquatic Reserve
Green sea turtles are spotted on almost every dive at Jungarra Ngarrian — and our community helps protect them.
Upcoming & Ongoing
Field Survey · 1st Monday of every month
Help build a living photographic record of the Cook Island Aquatic Reserve by capturing incredible wildlife and habitats on this unique monthly citizen science expedition.
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Field Survey · 22 & 23 October
Explore the spectacular Cook Island Aquatic Reserve by boat while helping photograph and record its incredible seabirds as part of BirdLife Australia's Annual Aussie Bird Count.
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Field Survey · 27–30 November
Join our Spring BioBlitz at the Cook Island Aquatic Reserve and help discover, photograph and record as many marine species as possible as part of the internationally recognised Great Southern BioBlitz.
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Field Survey · 21 November
Healthy reefs begin with healthy fish. Join us at Cook Island to survey and photograph the reef fish that make this reserve one of Australia's most biodiverse.
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Field Survey · 28 Feb – 8 Mar
In collaboration with the Australian Association of Environmental Education. Five Days. Five Expeditions. One Incredible Ocean.
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Field Survey + Event · 8 June
Celebrate World Oceans Day with an inspiring day of ocean discovery, underwater photography, reef sounds, family activities, community awards and the launch of the Cook Island Ocean Report Card 2027.
Find out more →We believe that when communities observe and understand nature, they protect it. Green Heroes connects people to the threatened species on our doorstep — and gives them the tools to make a difference.
Explore
Immersive education for all ages — from school excursions in the reserve to hands-on conservation courses for adults and community groups.
Take Action
You don’t have to be on one of our expeditions. Photos from your own dives, snorkels and beach walks all count. Upload them and they join the same record our survey teams are building.
Who We Are
Green Heroes is a volunteer-driven conservation group on the Tweed Coast. We work to monitor and protect the threatened marine and coastal species that depend on Cook Island Aquatic Reserve — one of the most biodiverse reef systems on the east coast of Australia.
Since 2013, our members have run monthly surveys, delivered education programs for thousands of school students, and collaborated with Traditional Custodians, government agencies and wildlife organisations to build a long-term record of life at the reserve.
Read our story →Monthly turtle, whale and shorebird surveys building a long-term dataset that informs reserve management.
Citizen science through iNaturalist and structured data collection — creating a biodiversity record for the reserve.
Education programs, public events and volunteer opportunities that connect community to conservation.
Featured Project
Featured Project
"To safeguard this incredible biodiversity hotspot, we need the support of the local community."
Developed with NSW DPIRD Fisheries and signed by all ten Cook Island tour operators — a first for Australian seas. The Code sets out the rules of the aquatic reserve and best-practice advice, so that tour operators and visitors can experience one of our most visited marine sites without harming the turtles that live there.
Read the story →Why This Matters
sea turtle species found in Australia are listed as threatened or endangered
at-risk shorebird species tracked in our annual Tweed Coast Shorebird Census
humpback whales travel the east Australian coast each year — we count them
Australia's first sea turtle code of conduct, developed here at Cook Island in 2024
Our Work
Ongoing · iNaturalist
Divers and snorkellers photograph whatever they find at the reserve and upload it to iNaturalist. Every survey adds to the same record, which is what makes it useful to the people who manage the reserve.
Ongoing · iNaturalist
The same approach on land. Volunteers log the plants, birds and animals of Fingal Head, so the headland is documented as well as the reef below it.
Coming November 2026
An interactive map built from our own survey data. Turn habitat layers on and off, see where each species was found, and compare older records against what is there now. Launching with Tweed Coast schools.
By the Numbers
Figures drawn from the Cook Island Ecology Project dataset.
Completed Project
A Major Project · Now Complete
A collaboration between Traditional Descendants, Green Heroes volunteers, the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Kirra Dive — working to protect the flora, fauna and cultural story of Cook Island Aquatic Reserve.
The project brought together cultural knowledge and community science: recording the species of the reserve, deepening connection to Sea Country, and building the skills of young people to take part in caring for it.
Much of the monitoring work we run today grew directly out of what this project established.
Read the project story →Latest
Free Film Series · 10 Episodes
A free short film series on wildlife rescue — covering native birds, bats, koalas, reptiles and more. Made in partnership with ARC, WIRES and Currumbin Wildlife Hospital.
Watch the series →Supported & Partnered By
Acknowledgement of Country. Green Heroes acknowledges the Bundjalung and Yugambeh peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the Tweed Coast and its waters. We pay our deepest respect to Elders past, present and emerging, and recognise their continuing connection to land, sea and community.