Is the Kimberley coast still a pristine wilderness?

KIMBERLEY MARINE RESEARCH PROGRAMME

WAMSI 2.1.1 – PROF LYNNATH BECKLEY (MURDOCH)

Kimberley coast: background

• Traditional owners & native title

• Small population (<40,000)

• Few coastal towns (Broome, Derby, Wyndham)

•Little road access to coast

• Commercial activities ◦ Fishing & aquaculture ◦ Agriculture & pastoralism ◦ Ports & shipping ◦ Mining ◦ Oil & gas ◦ Aviation ◦ Tourism

3 Cone Bay barramundi aquaculture

Pearl farm leases

Lines of pearl oyster cages

Pearl farms & aquaculture 3

4 Koolan Island, Kimberley

Kimberley human use study

WAMSI study (2012-2015) has drawn into focus the spatial footprint of human use along the Kimberley coast

1. Aerial surveys along coast for mapping distribution, numbers & activities of people & boats

• Port Hedland – Broome (1 survey per month) • Broome – Derby (2 surveys per month) • Derby - Kuri Bay (exploratory X 4) • Kuri Bay – Wyndham (exploratory X1)

2. Broome boat launches (Entrance Point)*

3. Cruise vessel itineraries*

4. Literature review of impacts of use

80 Mile Beach caravan park summer

80 Mile Beach caravan park winter

80 Mile Beach

People: Port Hedland to Broome

Highly seasonal, nodal & linked to proximity of tourist infrastructure 46% engaged in shore-based fishing, high numbers of associated 4WD vehicles

WET, SUMMER SEASON

DRY, WINTER SEASON Change since surveys:

Air strip at Eco Beach resort

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8 Cable Beach winter dry season

People: Dampier Peninsula

WET SUMMER SEASON

DRY WINTER SEASON

Maximum density 93 people / 0.1km2

Change since surveys: • Start to sealing of

Cape Leveque Road

• Will lead to unprecedented access to Dampier Peninsula & Buccaneer Archipelago

Road sealing

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Boats: Dampier Peninsula

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WET SUMMER SEASON

DRY WINTER SEASON

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Recreational boat launching

Entrance Point winter South Cable Beach winter

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• 6000+ boat launches per year at Entrance Point, Broome

• Weekend peaks • July/August maximum • No wet/dry difference

in mean launches/hour

Boats: Camden Sound

Cone Bay

Koolan Island Kuri Bay

Talbot Bay

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Pearl aquaculture

Private yachts

Cruise vessel

Boats: Eastern Kimberley 13

Coastal camps/resorts: Eastern Kimberley

Berkeley River Lodge Faraway Bay

Kimberley Coastal Camp

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Kimberley cruise vessel itineraries • Desktop study to quantify cumulative visitation by cruise vessels along the Kimberley coast

• 18 vessels (12-103 m) operating in 2013

• 60% have <20 passengers

• Analysis of detailed daily itineraries • Calculated potential numbers of visitors per year for 114 sites from itineraries

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Total cruise vessel visits: 2013 16

Total potential visitors by site: 2013 (only sites with >3000 passengers)

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Evolving cruise industry

L’ Austral 142 m; ~264 passengers (2016 & 2017 - 10 sites across Kimberley)

Pacific Eden 219 m; ~1250 passengers (Broome & Kuri Bay - June 2017)

Changes since 2013: • Bigger ships • More passengers

Summary – use of Kimberley coast

•Evidence of growing use of Kimberley coast

•Commercial activities such as mining, aquaculture & fishing across the region

•Tourism & recreation are widespread • West of Derby - generally facilitated by 4WDs • East of Derby - facilitated by private vessels, light

aircraft, float planes & helicopters • Cruise industry along whole Kimberley coast with about

10 focal areas; increase in larger vessels

•However, despite the use, most of the Kimberley coast still remains physically unaltered from its natural state

•It is incumbent upon the managers of the Kimberley coast to carefully monitor & manage usage so that deleterious impacts can be mitigated or avoided

• Annual monitoring of cruise industry (# vessels, vessel sizes, # passengers, itineraries, activities, changes in vessel capacity) • Can follow itinerary protocol used in this study (2013 & 2015 MSc)

• Impact of sealing of road from Broome to Cape Leveque & One Arm Point • Collect information on Peninsula tourists & day trippers (vehicle counters?) • Monitor campers (e.g., Middle Lagoon, Goombaragin, Kooljaman etc) • Accommodation (e.g., Kooljaman, Cygnet Bay, Mercedes Cove etc) • Potential impacts: Disrespect, sewage, rubbish, trampling, more fishing etc

• Impact of increased boat launching from One Arm Point & other sites • Major change in recreational fishing pressure (Buccaneer Archipelago) • Undertake daily trailer counts at important sites like One Arm Point • TOs work with Division of Fisheries to establish robust monitoring protocol

(e.g., boat launches, trailer counts, creel surveys, compliance etc)

Some management considerations

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State Government of WA, Murdoch University & Division of Fisheries for funding this research Claire Smallwood, Emily Fisher & Broome Air Services pilots Joanna Tonge, Cameron Desfosses, Shane Richards, Halina Kobryn & Sue Mooreᶧ Traditional owners of the Kimberley coast

Acknowledgements 21

A global map of human impact on marine ecosystems Halpern et al. (2008) Science 319: 948-952

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Absolute difference between 2013 & 2008 per-pixel cumulative impact scores based on 12 anthropogenic stressors that could be compared across time (max cumulative impact score = 11). Positive scores represent an increase in cumulative impact.

Halpern et al. (2015) Nature Communications 6, 7615

Spatial and temporal changes in cumulative human impacts on the world’s ocean

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