Australia is a country blessed with beautiful beaches, but vehicle access to picturesque vistas is causing significant damage, leading to calls for the practice to be banned.
As reported by ABC News, a study by the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) has found 4x4s are causing “unequivocal serious and widespread damage” to coastal dune ecosystems, with its lead author saying there’s no “safe level” of beach driving.
According to the study’s lead author, Thomas Schlacher, all of the 253 dune species which were looked at from 20 international studies were found to have been negatively affected by vehicles.
“The hard sand has invertebrates buried in it, things like pipis and crabs, which are important fish foods when the fish come in at high tide, particularly at night,” Professor Schlacher told ABC News.
“The 4x4s running over them basically crush them to death.
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“It only takes one vehicle to cause very, very severe impacts.
“That’s a bit of a surprise because people often argue, ‘Oh, all we have to do is regulate the volume of the traffic and we will be right’.
“The only thing which works is to get the cars off for sizable proportions of the beach… at least half – that’s a good starting point.”
There are multiple beaches in New South Wales, the Northern Territory, Queensland, Tasmania and Western Australia where vehicles have access. Depending on the beach, fines can apply for motorists caught driving on dunes or disturbing turtle nests.
Driving on the beach isn’t allowed in Victoria, while South Australia is tightening up its laws – though the Festival State says it has “no intention to ban all vehicles” on all its beaches, and is instead “committed to better managing access to ensure [the] coastline remains sustainable”.
According to Professor Schlacher, Queensland – where on-sand driving is permitted at popular beach spots like North Shore, Rainbow Beach, K’gari and Bribie Island – is the best proof of the damage being done.
“South-east Queensland has probably the world’s single strongest evidence base for serious harm caused by 4x4s,” he said.
“So we are basically in the driver’s seat, here to make sensible decisions.”
The results of the study aren’t surprising for those who spend great amounts of time in the area, such as Bribie Island National Park conservation team member Darren Jew.
Mr Jew told ABC News the sheer number of vehicles often on Brible Island can cause chaos, and be devastating to local wildlife at certain times of the year.
“Bribie has hardly any beach at high tide… so it’s chaos. It’s the Wild West up there at times,” Mr Jew said.
“There can be 1,200 vehicles on the beach in one day, and that’s ridiculous. It’s just like a Woolies car park.
“We’ve had [loggerhead turtle] nests that have been laid for a month or so up in the dunes in relatively safe positions, run over by illegal dune driving.
“We’ve got little hatchlings trying to get from nest to ocean, and the ruts created by four-wheel drives… become a barrier to them.
“Instead of heading to the ocean, maybe a 50-metre journey, they end up heading north or south 500 metres in a rut and die of dehydration.”
While a potential ban or restriction on beach driving could impact car clubs centred around the activity, Brett Lynch – president of the Bundaberg 4WD Club – said members are offered training to reduce damage, and that 4x4s can help provide a community service.
“The association does a clean-up there [K’gari] every year where we generally pick up six to eight tonnes of rubbish,” Mr Lynch told ABC News.
“That sort of work you can’t do without a 4×4 to get that sort of rubbish out of the environment to help protect it.”
Queensland’s Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation Minister, Andrew Powell, said banning 4x4s from the state’s beaches wouldn’t be acceptable to some.
“My job is to make sure we find the balance between conserving and protecting the environment and allowing people to get out there and enjoy it,” Minister Powell said in remarks reported by ABC News.
“I appreciate for many, they would love to see four-wheel drives off the beaches, but I for one can’t see that as an outcome that would be acceptable.”
Further north in Mackay, however, the local council further restricted beach access for motorists last September.
Driving is no longer permitted on the foreshore and beach on council-controlled land from Harbour Beach to East Point, with cameras installed to monitor the area and those who ignore the rule copping a $774 fine.
“Over time, vehicles have caused significant damage to the foredune, impacting on the coastal flora and fauna, and turtle and shorebird nesting sites,” said Mayor Greg Williamson.
“The impact of that damage over many years is threatening the ecological integrity of this area.”
