Tweed Coast, Est. 2016
Connecting people with our ocean and coastal environments through citizen science, education and conservation
Identify & Record
Every photo taken on an expedition becomes a record. We work out what it is, when and where it was seen, and add it to the dataset for the reserve.
Upcoming & Ongoing
Field Survey · September 2026
Head out during the humpback migration to look for mothers and calves heading south, and drop a hydrophone to record the songs and calls beneath the surface.
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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 · 21 November
Healthy reefs begin with healthy fish. Join us at Cook Island for a hands-on reef survey combining fish counts, habitat observations, underwater photography and hydrophone recordings. Discover who lives on the reef, where they live and what the reef sounds like — every observation contributes to our growing Cook Island Marine Atlas.
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Field Survey · 27–30 November
Join us for our Spring BioBlitz across the Tweed Coast and waterways — from the Cook Island Aquatic Reserve and Fingal Head Peninsula to the Tweed River. Help discover, photograph and record as many species as possible, from marine life and shorebirds to coastal plants, insects and wildlife, as part of the internationally recognised Great Southern BioBlitz.
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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.
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Field Survey · 16 June 2027
Snorkel the reef on World Sea Turtle Day and photograph the turtles that live here, building an individual ID catalogue one encounter at a time.
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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.
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 organisation on the Tweed Coast. Since 2016, we’ve brought people together to understand, monitor and protect the wildlife and habitats around us — from native animals and coastal ecosystems to reefs, waterways and threatened species.
Our work has grown and evolved alongside the communities we work with. Today, Cook Island Aquatic Reserve and the Fingal Head Peninsula are two of our key monitoring sites, where long-term citizen science helps build a deeper understanding of the region’s marine, coastal and terrestrial environments.
We run field surveys, citizen science projects, education programs and community events, and work alongside Traditional Custodians, government agencies, researchers and wildlife organisations to turn local knowledge and community action into lasting conservation outcomes.
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."
Cook Island Aquatic Reserve is one of Australia’s premier places to encounter wild turtles while snorkelling. The reserve is home to threatened green, hawksbill and loggerhead turtles. As visitor numbers grew, so did reports from community members, dive operators and tourists about encounters that were putting turtles under stress.
Nobody had written the rules down. There were no resources or guidelines for turtle encounters. Green Heroes set out to close that gap.
Published in 2023, it was the first code of its kind in Australian waters: a plain-English guide to sharing the water with turtles, written for the people actually in it. It is free to download and has since been picked up well beyond the Tweed Coast.
Read more about swimming with turtles →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
Powered by people, we’re building a living record of the Cook Island Aquatic Reserve through field expeditions, citizen science surveys and community events. Every photograph and observation helps build the Cook Island Marine Atlas.
Ongoing
Powered by people, we’re building a living record of Fingal Head through field surveys, citizen science activities and community events. Every photograph and observation helps document the plants, animals and habitats of this special coastal environment.
Coming November 2026
An interactive map bringing together the discoveries from our field surveys and citizen science projects. Explore species records, habitat layers and changes over time as we build a living picture of our ocean and coast.
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 series of short films showing what you can do to help native wildlife — from responding to injured animals and reuniting baby birds with their parents, to creating habitat in your backyard and protecting seabirds from fishing line. Made with Currumbin Wildlife Hospital, WIRES and ARC, the series combines practical advice with real stories from people caring for wildlife.
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.