Relaxing on the
beach is the most
popular pastime at
Ningaloo Marine Park.

Relaxing on the beach, snorkelling, swimming, walking and fishing are the most popular past times at Western Australia's Ningaloo Marine Park, the first comprehensive study into the human uses of the region has revealed.

Early results from the Murdoch University study, which geo-referenced the activities of more than 25,000 people using the 300km marine park, show Coral Bay, Turquoise Bay and Bundegi Beach are the most popular spots.

Marine Science Associate Professor Lynnath Beckley said her team has just completed a year of detailed surveying and monitoring along the entire length of the park, between Exmouth and Red Bluff, to produce high resolution spatial and temporal maps of human activities in the region.

“Relaxing on the beaches was the most frequently recorded activity with snorkelling, swimming, walking and shore-based fishing also popular,” Professor Beckley said.

“Preliminary results show marked seasonality in human usage of the reef with the Easter and July school holidays particularly important for Western Australian families. The winter months are also very popular amongst the ‘grey nomad’ campers in the region.

“We also interviewed more than 1200 people using the marine park to get an idea of their ‘spatial footprint’ – questions included what recreational activities they undertake, where they participate in these activities and how far they range from their accommodation or camp sites in order to take part in these activities.”

The results of the project will contribute directly to the integrated ecosystem and socio-economic model being developed for the Ningaloo region through the Ningaloo Collaboration Cluster of the Wealth from Oceans Flagship.

“We’re hoping our human use mapping project will assist local managers with predicting the likely consequences of future coastal development and changes in management regimes in the region,” Professor Beckley said.

Scientists will now analyse and interpret the large data sets in order to produce a final report in 2009.