The region’s peak conservation and tourism groups are sharing the message about the impacts of four-wheel drives on beaches and asking drivers to follow some simple steps to minimise the impact.
Nature Conservation Margaret River Region and the Margaret River-Busselton Tourism Association know that four-wheel driving on beaches is a treasured activity for many and a way of accessing some areas of the coast.
But with more people wanting to get off the beaten track, some popular four-wheel-drive-accessible beaches can see hundreds of vehicles a day over the warmer months.
Nature Conservation’s coastal officer Mandy Polley says every car that drives on a beach brings consequences for the environment, “some which people might not know about”. She said traffic on beaches has effects like disturbing wildlife and shorebirds including endangered hooded plovers which are nesting or raising chicks. And damaging vegetation that is vital to stabilise the beach, prevent erosion in storms, and mitigate rising sea levels.
Four-wheel-drives on the beach in the South-West. Photo: Sean Blocksidge
“Driving on beaches compresses the sand and kills or harms the microfauna in the sand. And it changes the dune profile by crushing plant seeds and stopping vegetation from spreading, which prevents dunes from moving over time and being more resilient to erosion,” Mandy says.
“Coastal plants play a crucial role as they trap and accumulate sand carried by the wind, gradually building up. When cars run over these small plants, they ‘re unwittingly running over young sand dunes and destabilising the coast.
“We’re reminding everyone to be a custodian of Wadandi Boodja. And when we visit these places, we can engage with the land and sea mindfully. This means staying on formal trails, parking in designated areas, taking rubbish with you, toileting properly, and sharing with family and friends ways they can help to protect our beaches.”
Four-wheel-drives accessing the coast. Photo: Sean Blocksidge
At some beaches, drivers can park behind the dunes or stay on existing coastal tracks instead of driving on the beach. If you do choose to four-wheel drive on the beach, the conservation groups says you can reduce your impact by:
- staying away from vegetation
- driving closer to the water to avoid nesting shorebirds
- avoiding hooded plover breeding sites
- driving slowly to keep children safe and protect wildlife
- letting your tyres down to reduce the chance of getting bogged
- carrying proper extraction gear to minimise disturbance if you do get bogged
That was echoed by Track Care WA which said coastal ecosystems are “some of our most fragile and they need special care when we are visiting them, so it is vital you know how to drive safely and lightly to protect yourself and our fragile environment”.
Track Care WA added toileting guidelines too. “Practice good personal hygiene in the bush and prevent the spread of nasties such as giardia and gastroenteritis as well as stinky surprises for other travellers. Carry a trowel to bury solid waste and toilet paper at least 100m from any watercourse and at least 30cm deep,” it recommended.
MRBTA chief executive Sharna Kearney agreed it’s important to follow the track care principles to create a culture ensuring beach ecosystems are not damaged. “An important part of our role as the local tourism association is to help visitors understand the special nature of our environment, and the ways that they can enjoy and protect it when they visit,” she said.
“Visitors to our region are drawn to our coastline for the same reasons we are as locals, and by sharing these simple steps we can help to create a culture that ensures these fragile ecosystems are conserved for all to enjoy for generations to come.”
Nature Conservation general manager Drew McKenzie said it’s an “awesome time of year where we take to our local beaches and enjoy what our beautiful coastline has to offer”. But he urged everyone to “think about reducing your impact and being custodians for this incredible place where we live, work and play”.
“We are having a big impact on the natural beauty that makes these places so appealing. Now is the time to reconsider some of these activities or do them in a more environmentally friendly way,” he said.
“With bigger numbers of people accessing the coast year-round, combined with the impacts of climate change and other threats, there’s no opportunity for these areas to rest and recover. The pressure is constant, and many of us would have noticed the decline, with fragile coastal vegetation and wildlife being lost.”
Beachgoers are also reminded that dogs are not permitted in the Leeuwin Naturalist National Park and should only be taken to designated dog-friendly beaches to protect nesting shorebirds, as well as other wildlife and coastal vegetation.
For more information and tips see Track Care WA’s off road code.
Nature Conservation’s Caring for Coast program is funded through the Line in the Sand philanthropic group and the Shire of Augusta Margaret River’s Environmental Management Fund.