Hello Birders,
I recently returned from 2 weeks in Broome and 3 days
at the Broome Bird Observatory (BBO). The BBO is a great facility with
EXCELLENT staff. Ricki and her dedicated, but sadly underpaid crew, do an
outstanding job. I was however appalled with how the general community (not
deliberately, but perhaps unwittingly) is treating this vitally important wader
hot spot.
Forgive me if this has already been discussed on
Birding-Aus but I feel action is warranted.
During my stay at the BBO I saw, in the most sensitive
and populated areas for birds, tonnes of rubbish on the beach, people wading
through mangroves to get crabs and shellfish, 4WD’s, people fishing +
dogs, random campsites, birds being disrupted by children/pets, and even the
odd bit of human faeces!
I feel the community has not been made aware of Roebuck Bay’s uniqueness and that these
responsibilities rest solely on the local council and state/federal government.
Not one advisory sign (quite simply, this blows my
mind!!!!)has been provided for users (accept for the BBO ones) of the area
indicating how important and fragile this site is or that it is a RAMSAR
wetland and needs to be respected. There appears to be no patrolling or enforcing
of laws by local authorities regarding camping, 4WD zones, dogs etc or any kind
of public education program so that the bay can be used responsibly.
I am not saying that all human activity should be
stopped, as this is not at all viable. The entire area needs to be set up
however to accommodate all animals – us included. The entire beach should
be pet free, certain areas need to be 4WD free, camping should be allowed in
some places but strictly regulated (i.e. bins, fire places, pit toilets etc), all
people should be encouraged to use the bay but understand that there is a great
responsibility in doing so, and most of all, this has to be enforced.
I have written this for a number of reasons;
1)to get feedback from other people on this matter who
may have witnessed similar activities at Roebuck Bay
2)ask people to discuss this issue at their next
bird/environmental meeting – I will be bringing it up in general business
at Birds SA
3)ask people to write/call/email/fax their concerns to
the Broome Council/State MP’s, Federal MP’s and Senators –
see next email for all contact details
At the moment it is a free-for-all at Roebuck Bay and this is totally unstainable.
I look forward to hearing peoples thoughts.
Cheers,
Andrew Plimer.
