Preserving Our Coastal Playground This Summer

by | Dec 23, 2025 | Community, Environment

Western Australia boasts some of the most pristine coastlines in the world.  As we head into the summer holidays, our beaches will host millions of visitors (Tourism WA, 2025), and we all want the same thing: clean white sand, clear water, and abundant, happy wildlife. This Insight outlines practical steps we can all take to protect the landscape, so everyone can enjoy our coast.

On the Sand

Summer brings energy and excitement to our beaches, but it also brings challenges. More people means more rubbish, more campfires, more vehicles on soft sand and, unfortunately, more disturbance to local wildlife. Marine debris, especially plastics, discarded food waste and fishing gear, continues to grow as a major issue along WA’s coastline (DBCA, 2025b). Beaches are living ecosystems, even small plastic scraps or tangled fishing line can injure seabirds, turtles and marine mammals or wash into the ocean where it continues to accumulate (Tangora Blue, 2023).The good news is that a few easy habits make a real difference.

Easy ways to help:

  • Take all rubbish home.
  • Fires – Only light fires where permitted, check local fire bans, and always extinguish them fully to avoid dune damage or bushfires.
  • Stick to paths so coastal vegetation stays intact.
  • Keep dogs in approved areas so they don’t disturb shorebirds or wildlife.
  • Camping – Use only official designated camping areas.
  • 4WDing – Only drive on beaches where it’s allowed, and follow simple best practices.
    •  stick to firm sand below the high-tide line,
    •  avoid vegetated areas entirely,
    •  give pedestrians right of way (DBCA, 2021a).
Figure 1 Cape Le Grand, Esperance (Gettyimages, 2025)

Also, many WA beaches are either culturally significant Aboriginal heritage sites or located within national parks, marine parks or nature reserves. For example, Ningaloo Marine Park and adjoining coastal reserve are part of a World Heritage-listed coastal and marine system, with defined zones where activities like fishing and vehicle access are regulated to protect reef, wildlife and cultural values (DBCA, 2025c; Parks Australia, 2025). Similarly, Eighty Mile Beach Marine Park is recognised for its ecological and cultural importance; Explore Parks WA provides guidance on respectful visitation and the use of vehicles and campsites to ensure people and wildlife can coexist safely (Explore Parks WA, 2025). It’s worth checking site-specific rules through the WA Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) Explore Parks WA (https://exploreparks.dbca.wa.gov.au/) and Aboriginal Cultural Heritage inquiry systems (https://espatial.dplh.wa.gov.au/ACHIS/index.html?viewer=ACHIS), which provide up-to-date information on protected areas, access conditions and culturally sensitive sites.

Figure 2 Lucky Bay Boardwalk (Gettyimages, 2025)

In the Dunes

Dunes are one of WA’s most important natural defence systems. Dunes store sand, absorb storm energy, and help maintain the natural shape of our coastline (Government of Western Australia, 2024). What keeps them stable is their vegetation. Spinifex, coastal grasses and low shrubs bind the dunes together, but these plants are fragile. Foot traffic, camping gear, dogs, and especially tyre tracks can easily break vegetation and destabilise dune systems (Government of Western Australia, 2024).

Once dunes are damaged, erosion becomes a serious risk. WA already has multiple erosion hotspots identified along the coastline due to unmanaged access, vegetation loss and increasing coastal pressures (DOT & DPLH, 2019). Protecting the dunes protects our whole coastline.

How to help:

  • Use boardwalks and marked tracks to cross dunes safely.
  • Never drive on dunes unless there is clear signage permitting it.
  • Respect fenced rehabilitation zones; these areas are actively recovering.

Healthy dunes help protect beaches year-round, especially during big swells and storms, so staying off them is one of the easiest and most important actions we can take.

In the Water

WA’s waters are home to an incredible range of marine life, and summer is especially important because it overlaps with flatback and green turtle nesting season. Key nesting areas in the Pilbara and Kimberley see turtles laying eggs from November to January (DBCA, 2025d).These animals are extremely sensitive during this time. Lights, noise and movement can cause nesting mothers to abandon their attempt or disorient hatchlings as they make their journey to the ocean (DBCA, 2025d).

Another major threat comes from marine debris. Lost or discarded fishing gear, known as ghost nets, including hooks, nets and fishing line, that drift through the oceans trapping turtles, seabirds and other marine animals long after the original owner is gone (DBCA, 2021b). Many of these items can travel long distances and remain in the ocean for years, creating long-term hazards (AFMA, 2025).

Figure 3 Turtle Rookery Information Sign 

How to help:

  • Avoid lights at night – no flash photography, bright torches or headlights near nesting beaches.
  • Leave natural debris like shells, seaweed and driftwood on the beach – they play a role in coastal ecology.
  • Dispose of fishing line responsibly – the “Reel It In” bins now found at many WA beaches (DBCA, 2021b).
  • Take all rubbish home to help reduce long-term marine debris.

Showing a little extra care ensures that one of WA’s most iconic marine species can continue to thrive.
 

Figure 4 “Reel It IN” Bin (DBCA, 2021b) 

Emergency Reporting

If you see something that doesn’t look right, reporting it can make a real difference.

Figure 5 Beach Emergency Sign (BEN) (Hutton, 2022) 

Whether you’re swimming, camping, fishing, or just soaking up the sun, ISPL wishes you a safe, fun and relaxing holiday season at our beautiful coastal playground.
 

ISPL- Preserving our Coastal Playground this Summer- PDF

Acknowledgement of copyright: Figure 4 sourced from Explore Parks WA (DBCA, 2021b) and Figure 5 sourced from DBCA (Hutton, 2022). All rights remain with the original copyright holder.

References

AFMA. (2025, September 26). What are ghost nets? Retrieved from Australian Fisheries Management Authority.

DBCA. (2021a). Code Off Road. Retrieved from Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attraction: https://exploreparks.dbca.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-12/Code%20Off%20Road%20brochure.pdf

DBCA. (2021b). Reel It In fishing line bin project continues to grow. Retrieved from Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attraction: https://www.dbca.wa.gov.au/news/2021/reel-it-fishing-line-bin-project-continues-grow

DBCA. (2025a). Lucky Bay. Retrieved from Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attraction: https://exploreparks.dbca.wa.gov.au/site/lucky-bay

DBCA. (2025b). Marine debris. Retrieved from Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attraction: https://flatbacks.dbca.wa.gov.au/what-we-do/research/threats/marine-debris

DBCA. (2025c). Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area. Retrieved from Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attraction: https://www.dbca.wa.gov.au/management/world-heritage-areas/ningaloo-coast-world-heritage-area

DBCA. (2025d). North West Shelf Flatback Turtle Conservation Program. Retrieved from Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attraction: https://flatbacks.dbca.wa.gov.au/

DOT, & DPLH. (2019, March 18). Assessment of Coastal Erosion Hotspots in Western Australia. Retrieved from Department of Transport: https://www.transport.wa.gov.au/getmedia/fe66845f-fae2-4568-bb26-1f2eb4a08fe7/mac_p_coastalerosionhotspotsreportappendixa-c.pdf

DPIRD. (2025). Staying Safe. Retrieved from Sharksmart: https://www.sharksmart.com.au/staying-safe/beach-emergency-numbers/

Explore Parks WA. (2025). Eighty Mile Beach Marine Park. Retrieved from Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attraction: https://exploreparks.dbca.wa.gov.au/park/eighty-mile-beach-marine-park

Gettyimages. (2025). Esperance Beach. Retrieved from Getty images: https://www.gettyimages.com.au/search/2/image?phrase=esperance+beach&tracked_gsrp_landing=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gettyimages.com.au%2Fphotos%2Fesperance-beach

Government of Western Australia. (2024, October 17). Coastal Planning and Management. Retrieved from https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-planning-lands-and-heritage/coastal-planning-and-management

Hutton, R. (2022, December 28). Beach Emergency Number Signs. Retrieved from Explore Parks WA: https://exploreparks.dbca.wa.gov.au/get-inspired/beach-emergency-number-signs

Parks Australia. (2025). North-west Marine Parks Network. Retrieved from Australian Marine Parks: https://australianmarineparks.gov.au/parks/north-west-marine-parks-network/

Tangora Blue. (2023). 2023 Western Australia Beach Clean-up Report. Retrieved from Tangaroa Blue: https://tangaroablue.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2023-WABCU-Report-FINAL.pdf

Tourism WA. (2025). Visitor statistics. Retrieved from Tourism WA Corporate Website: https://www.tourism.wa.gov.au/research-and-insights/visitor-statistics