Why protect the beaches of K'gari?

The beachesprovide habitat for invertebrates, dingoes, birds and fish.

The beaches support a diversity of marine invertebrates, many of which areused for bait when fishing (e.g. beach worms, surf clams).

Beaches are used as feeding habitats by dingoes and iconic coastal raptors such as thewhite-bellied sea eagle), which scavenge marine carrion stranded by waves.

The beach dunes are significant roosting areas for threatened migratory shorebirds such are the little tern, and are the nesting sites of endangered green and loggerhead turtles.

The surf zones of ocean beaches also provide important feeding and spawning habitat for a diversity of fish species, some of which are prized by recreational anglers (e.g. tailor).

Many visitorsdrive 4x4 vehicles along the beaches, camp in coastal dunes that fringe the ocean beaches and fish in the surf. All these activities impact the beaches of the Island.

More information: Schlacher, T.A., Nielsen, T. and Weston, M.A. (2013a). Human recreation alters behaviour profiles of non-breeding birds on open-coast sandy shores. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, vol. 118, pp. 31-42.