Efforts are underway to save a rare and endangered Australian freshwater turtle from extinction.

The little-known Manning River helmeted turtle is found only in middle and upper reaches of the Manning River, on the mid-north coast of New South Wales.

It has a distinctive appearance, with yellow markings on its neck, yet is rarely seen and was declared endangered in 2017.

Australian Reptile Park general manager and head of conservation, Tim Faulkner, said it was one of three turtle species in New South Wales with a very limited range.

"There's three endemic turtles in NSW that are found nowhere else on Earth, and only live in their own river system," he said.

"The Manning River turtle is one, the Bellinger River turtle is second, and the third is the Bell's turtle, over in the McDonald River and Namoi [River] and again very range restricted. All three are endangered."

Living in such a restricted area means the turtles are extremely vulnerable to habitat loss, predation, lack of genetic diversity, and sickness.

"Nesting site eggs are destroyed and eaten by foxes and pigs, females are predated by foxes while they are laying their eggs, and then throw in habitat destruction, the erosion of banks and nesting sites, stock impact and pollution," Mr Faulkner said.

"The freshwater turtles really need all the help they can get."

The vulnerability of endangered freshwater turtle species was highlighted in 2015 when the Bellinger River snapping turtle, also found on the NSW mid-north coast but not genetically linked to the Manning turtle, was decimated due to a disease.

Conservation efforts are underway, including a breeding program at Taronga Zoo in Sydney.

"The Bellinger River turtle got whacked with a disease, it knocked out every single adult turtle in that river, there's 150 less now on this earth," Mr Faulkner said.

"Even without that disease they were on a trajectory to be extinct within 20 years and the Manning River turtle is probably the same."

Bellinger River snapping turtle hatchling: a breeding program is providing hope for the species. ( Supplied: Taronga Zoo, Paul Fahy )

Plans to establish 'insurance population'

In order to safeguard the future of the Manning River turtle, the Australian Reptile Park, Aussie Ark, and the Office of Environment and Heritage have joined forces and are planning to start a breeding program for the species, while also closely monitoring remaining numbers in the wild.

They plan to build a breeding facility at the Australian Reptile Park on the NSW Central Coast in coming months. A crowdfunding campaign has been launched to help get the project off the ground.

The facility will be built using knowledge from successful models of captive freshwater turtle facilities, including the Bellinger River turtle facility at Taronga Zoo.

"To create an insurance population is an easy fix," Mr Faulkner said.

"Turtles are relatively easy to keep, easy to breed, we can then re-release back to the river to areas they were formally found in the hundreds."

"We kick into gear this year with the first 10 — we get a successful campaign up over the next couple of weeks, with great community support, then we get some turtles in November, they will probably be juvenile and take a year to grow up, and then we start breeding."

Locals help raise awareness

Members of the Manning River Turtle Conservation Group with Australian Reptile Park representatives who visited the region recently to discuss plans to save the turtle. From left to right: Dan Rumsey, Julia Driscoll, Bronwyn Ellis, Tim Faulkner, Jennifer Granger, Clare Rourke and Chris Williams. Kerrie Guppy is absent. ( Supplied: Julia Driscoll )

The project has been welcomed by the local Manning turtle Conservation Group, which was formed in 2017 to raise awareness of the turtle's plight.

"They want us on board with the project to help with community awareness, so we will do the small stuff in the community while they do the big stuff," group member Julia Driscoll said.

"Having the Australian Reptile Park, a good well-known conservation facility, and Tim Faulkner on board and doing this is beyond our wildest dreams really."