It’s become increasingly difficult for environmental authorities to make sure weekend adventurers are doing the right thing in Australia’s wilderness, but South Australia’s National Parks and Wildlife Service rangers have come up with a unique solution.
Rangers in the Limestone Coast region are deploying a helicopter to scour national parks for four-wheel-drivers and motorcycle riders straying from designated trails and tearing up the protected landscape.
Networks of trails run through national parks down the Limestone Coast, but many still opt to drive off the beaten track, disrupting archeological sites, disturbing vegetation and accelerating erosion in the process.
Beaches are particularly vulnerable to damage from car traffic, given the soft terrain.
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ABC News reports that more than 200 people were fined as a result of compliance checks over the Melbourne Cup weekend alone.
Both rangers and police can fine individuals for breaking the rules. Rangers can either hand out an on-the-spot fine in the hundreds of dollars, or escalate the matter to court, while police have the authority to slap offenders with fines of up to $2500.
Limestone Coast district ranger Ross Anderson says that the move to employ a patrol helicopter is helping to reduce wrongdoing.
“We’ve got a fair bit of remote country, and you can cover a lot more ground with a helicopter than on ground or in a vehicle, Mr Anderson told CarExpert.
“It helps provide a reminder to people to behave. It’s not just parks where there’s an issue, people have issues on private land as well.
An Isuzu D-Max driving legally on a beach
“It’s just the sheer numbers of visitors we get, a small proportion might be doing the wrong thing, but when you’ve got thousands of vehicles coming over the year a small percentage is a lot of people.
“We are getting a lot of vegetation coming back in our coastal parks, but there still are issues, and we just need to make sure that we’ve got an ongoing program.”
Patrols, both on the ground and in the air, will continue right through the summer as the National Parks and Wildlife Service strive to protect the natural environment for generations to come.
That’s despite mixed responses to the use of a helicopter, which some well-behaved visitors view as intrusive and excessive.
“Based on comments that people putting on social media, it’s a mixed bag,” said Mr Anderson.
“Some people think it’s a great idea, other people prefer a more laissez-faire approach, where they can do what they like.”
