"Painted Turtles, Painted Duck". A wood duck drake happily shares his (he was there first) log with a family of painted turtles. Huntley Meadows Park, Alexandria, Virginia, USA 25-MAR-2025. #birds #birdphotography #turtles #naturephotography

Abusing beaches as highways

"Overcrowding due to a surge in visitors at some of Queensland's pristine beaches has raised safety and environmental concerns.Reports of offences including reckless driving, littering and even defecating have increased at 4WD beaches in recent years amid a domestic tourism boom."
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https://au.news.yahoo.com/calls-for-major-change-at-popular-4wd-beaches-and-campgrounds-as-popularity-soars-224716506.html
#beaches #dunes #traffic #cars #vehicles #SUVs #4WDs #Biodiversity #wildlife #Invertebrates #birds #shorebirds #MigratoryBirds #turtles #NSW #Queensland #Australia #regulation #climate #tourism

Traffic on beaches
It's the Wild West - turning beach ecology into a Woolies car park

Off-road vehicles are allowed to cause "serious ecological harm" to beaches, dunes and estuaries ecosystems. Vehicles traffic is causing "unequivocal serious and widespread damage" to coastal dune ecosystems. "All of the species had suffered negative effects caused by off-road vehicles. The four-by-fours running over them basically crush them to death."

"Professor Schlacher said the Noosa North Shore, Rainbow Beach, K'gari and Bribie Island were among the car-accessible beaches that were being "pummelled to death"". On Bribie Island "there can be 1,200 vehicles on the beach in one day, and that's ridiculous. It's just like a Woolies car park."

Ban 4WDs from beaches >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-24/call-for-four-wheel-drive-ban-aussie-beaches/104990150
#NationalParks #beaches #dunes #traffic #cars #vehicles #SUVs #4WDs #Biodiversity #wildlife #Invertebrates #birds #shorebirds #MigratoryBirds #turtles #NSW #Queensland #Australia #regulation #climate