Council has declared the Old New Brighton Road pathway as a new Wildlife Protection Area.
This means that dogs are strictly prohibited and hefty fines can, and will, be issued in this location.
The section of pathway winds through a small part of Billinudgel Nature Reserve between Kolora Way and Brunswick Valley Way in North Ocean Shores and is surrounded on both sides by Marshalls Creek Nature Reserve.
Council’s Manager Public and Environmental Services, Sarah Nagel, said the shared pathway had been a popular route for dog walking in the past but at the expense of the sensitive local environment and wildlife.
“We know that people have been letting their dogs off-lead in this area for years now and that the dogs often leave the Council path and roam into the surrounding forest, which is National Parks and Wildlife Service estate,” Ms Nagel said.
“Unfortunately, even when dog walkers do keep their dogs leashed, the scent and sounds of dogs will affect feeding and breeding behaviours of wildlife in this area, including endangered species such as koalas. This is why we’ve made the decision to ban dogs in this space altogether,” she said.
Two thirds of the Old New Brighton Road path and surrounding NPWS estate was mapped by Council as primary koala habitat. The remainder is secondary koala habitat (Byron Coast Comprehensive Koala Plan of Management 2016).
Koalas in this area are part of the ‘Endangered Koala Population between the Tweed and Brunswick Rivers east of the Pacific Highway’ (Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016). Koalas are listed as Endangered at the State level (Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016) and National level (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999).
Many other native animals including swamp wallabies, bandicoots and ground-feeding rainforest pigeons also use this area.
“Signage is now place and alongside our colleagues at NPWS, we will be enforcing the dog ban within this new Wildlife Protection Area,” Ms Nagel said.
“I hope the local community can appreciate our concern for the native and endangered animals in the reserve and can take their dogs to the amazing stretches of dog-off lead areas provided on the nearby beaches instead.”
Signs advising of the ban on dogs is in place at the entrances to the path.
