Calls to Ban Beach 4WD Driving Following Study

An international study into the long-term effects of off-road vehicles driving on beaches has found the practice is damaging the environment, the ABC reports.

The research, conducted by the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, looked at data from around the world and locally, and concluded there was no “safe level” of beach driving.

The findings have led scientists from the university to call for the outright ban of all vehicles from Australian beaches to help ensure the viability of fragile ecosystems.

Professor Thomas Schlacher, the lead author of the white paper, says four-wheel-drive crushes the sand and the invertebrates living in it, while also negatively affecting dune vegetation and bird life.

“It only takes one vehicle to cause very, very severe impacts,” Professor Schlacher told the ABC.

“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 sizeable proportions of the beach … at least half – that's a good starting point,” he conceded.

Environmental advocates also say the deep ruts caused by SUVs can sometimes make it impossible for turtle hatchlings to make their way to the ocean – while some nests have been destroyed by people illegally driving in the dunes.

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But while beach driving is banned in Victoria and limited in areas of South Australia and New South Wales, places such as K’gari (Fraser Island) in Queensland have virtually no road infrastructure and rely on the beaches as highways.

“The association does a clean-up there every year where we generally pick up six to eight tonnes of rubbish,” Bundaberg 4WD Club President Brett Lynch told the ABC.

“That sort of work you can't do without a four-wheel-drive to get that sort of rubbish out of the environment to help protect it.”

Andrew Powell, Queensland Minister for the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation, told the ABC he would read the report, but said it was unlikely four-wheel-drives would be banned from beaches outright.

“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,” he said.