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Unauthorised human use of an urban coastal wetland sanctuary: current and future patterns
journal contribution
posted on 2007-03-28, 00:00 authored by M J Antos, G C Ehmke, C L Tzaros, Mike WestonMike WestonUrban expansion brings profound impacts and challenges to many ecosystems, including wetlands. Unauthorised public access to wetland sanctuaries can lead to a number of management problems, such as increasing disturbance to migratory shorebirds. We investigate unauthorised human use of a coastal urban wetland located in Melbourne, Australia, and use current results to predict future patterns of visitation under different management and urban development scenarios. Despite being officially closed to the public, 20.8% of the 574 ha wetland experienced human intrusions during the sampling period. These were most frequent in the section which directly abuts residential development where over 50% of the wetland experienced intrusions. The most frequently observed activities were walking (4.8 ± 4.9 intrusions per observation day), dog walking (8.5 ± 4.5), cycling (3.0 ± 1.8) and motorised trail bike riding (2.5 ± 1.0). There were significant negative relationships between the occurrence of intrusions and distance from the wetland boundary and access points. Walkers and dog walkers were likely to intrude more deeply into the wetlands than other users. We predict that once residential development is completed around the entire perimeter of the wetland that 48% of the total area will be subject to intrusions. This will increase to 58.8% if internal management tracks are opened for public use. We recommend that the current access policy is maintained, and compliance is enhanced through education and additional physical barriers. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
History
Journal
Landscape and urban planningVolume
80Issue
1-2Pagination
173 - 183Publisher
Elsevier BVLocation
Amsterdam, NetherlandsPublisher DOI
ISSN
0169-2046eISSN
1872-6062Language
engPublication classification
C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2007, ElsevierUsage metrics
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No categories selectedKeywords
Human disturbancePredictive modellingScenario modellingShorebirdsSpatial analysisUrbanisationScience & TechnologySocial SciencesLife Sciences & BiomedicinePhysical SciencesEcologyEnvironmental StudiesGeographyGeography, PhysicalRegional & Urban PlanningUrban StudiesEnvironmental Sciences & EcologyPhysical GeographyPublic AdministrationLAND-USEDISTURBANCEBEHAVIORIMPACTSAGRICULTUREREGULATIONSHABITAT
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