National park rangers launch helicopter to catch 4WD vehicles breaking rules
Vehicles drive along dunes on the Limestone Coast. (Supplied: National Parks and Wildlife Service)
In short:
Four-wheel driving has become increasingly popular along South Australia's Limestone Coast.
National Parks and Wildlife Service rangers are using a helicopter to track drivers damaging tracks and vegetation in the region's sand dunes.
What's next?
Rangers warn extensive compliance checks will continue over summer.
Environment authorities in regional South Australia have deployed a helicopter to catch four-wheel-drivers breaking the rules in national parks and on private properties.
South Australia's Limestone Coast is a favourite with off-roaders and motorbike riders due to the region's rolling sand dunes and long, quiet beaches.
It is also home to national parks, such as the Canunda National Park, and private properties along the coast.
National Parks and Wildlife Service rangers used a helicopter to patrol four-wheel drivers. (Supplied: Department for Environment and Water)
SA Police and rangers handed out more than 200 fines over the Melbourne Cup weekend in November as part of increased compliance checks and patrols in the area.
Limestone Coast district ranger Ross Anderson said rangers, and the helicopter, would ramp up checks ahead of the summer holidays.
"We have had long-term compliance operations in national parks and it is quite noticeable the difference where we have been managing vehicles," Mr Anderson said.
"We're getting a lot of the vegetation returning.
"It's not just a national park issue, it's a landscape-wide issue and probably people have been getting away with poor behaviour in the past."
Ross Anderson says rangers will continue to enforce compliance until it improves. (ABC South East SA: Sandra Morello)
Mr Anderson said the helicopter allowed the service to direct rangers and police to find individuals in areas that were hard to access.
"Everybody has to come out of the park at some stage," he said.
"So we were getting good observations from the helicopter where cars or trailers were parked so we could catch up with those folk doing the wrong thing at a later date."
Excessive measure
The use of a helicopter to monitor the dunes and beaches has attracted criticism on social media, with some people worried it was an overreaction from authorities.
Mount Gambier 4WD Club president Todd Kimber said the use of a helicopter was "over-excessive", but people doing the right thing had nothing to worry about.
He said the majority of drivers wanted to protect the environment and stayed away from sensitive areas.
Long Beach at Robe is one beach becoming increasingly popular with off-roaders. (Supplied: @joshsilver95)
"I don't think a lot of people are happy to see them [compliance measures] put in place but I think a lot of people understand why they're put into place," Mr Kimber said.
"There's certainly a minority out there that go out and do the wrong thing.
"The majority tend to be pretty good at staying on the tracks, not driving over vegetation, adhering to speed limits and not driving on private property."
In Beachport tourism numbers have increased as a result of the 4WD boom, with the coastal town being an entry point to beaches and dunes.
Beachport's tourism industry has welcomed more customers. (ABC South East SA: Kate Hill)
Beachport District Development Association treasurer Dianne Roach said there needed to be a balance between growing tourism and respecting the environment.
"I know there's a group in the town who believe there should be a fee put on those who do go four-wheel drive," she said.
"That way we'll have names and addresses of the people out there and maybe the four-wheel drive clubs should take some responsibility of monitoring this."