The amount of damage caused by the irresponsible 4WD vehicles in our national parks is once again being put in the spotlight. In South Australia, authorities says there has been an upsurge in off-road damage in parks, including at Lincoln National Park and Coffin Bay National Park.
“It’s happening more and more frequently and it’s actually starting to get quite upsetting and annoying,” Resource Protection Manager David Wilkins, told the ABC. “We’re going out and finding it happening in areas that it hasn’t happened before.”
A man was recently reported by authorities after protected plants in Coffin Bay National Park on the lower Eyre Peninsula were damaged by off-road vehicle use. The man’s four-wheel-drive became bogged and damage was reportedly caused in a rehabilitation area for the samphire plant.
“Visitors and tourists from all over Australia and all over the world come to see our pristine parks and they go out to those parks and they’re faced with this, you know, this unsightly damage,” said Mr Wilkins. “It’s embarrassing and depressing to have tourists come back and say ‘Is that a park?'”
Have you seen 4WDs being used irresponsibly? Are you a 4WD enthusiast who loves to hit the off-road? Email us here with your thoughts on this story.
