Access to more than 60 under-threat trails in popular Manning Park in Hamilton Hill will continue after the City of Cockburn this week resisted pressure to close them from some community quarters over environmental concerns.
In a meeting on Tuesday, the City of Cockburn Council voted 6:4 to reject a Manning Park Trail Rehabilitation Plan (MPTRP) recommendation to close 66 ‘informal trails’ popular with off mountain bikers, walkers and trail runners.
The vote to preserve trail access followed last-minute community uproar that due process had not been followed with the mooted closure only publicly announced in the days before the Council meeting.
The Council’s own meeting agenda had noted, “Informal trails negatively impact the environment by clearing and fragmenting vegetation, reducing habitat connectivity, compacting soil and increasing erosion, disturbing fauna through trampling and habitat disruption, and spreading weeds via footwear, tyres and pets.”
More specifically, the MPTRP cited threats to endangered black cockatoo habitats and Honeymyrtle shrublands from ongoing use of the trails, referencing an environmental assessment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBCA).
The City had said the assessment bypassed the need for further consultation.
Understanding trails impact
But at Tuesday’s meeting, attended by WestCycle, the likes of Manning Park Trail Runners and many mountain bikers argued decades of trail use had not negatively impacted local fauna and flora in Manning Park.
This was backed by ornithologist and biodiversity expert, Dr Holly Kirk, from Curtin University’s School of Design and the Built Environment, who said the EPBCA did not require the closure of existing trails, rather restricting new trails.
Trail closure would ignore the vital recreational value of the park, potentially causing local sporting groups to fold and leading to further unmanaged, unsanctioned trail creation by frustrated users, they said.
The alternative motion that was accepted recommended the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) 8-step trail development process commence as soon as possible, as it will allow for both rigorous environmental assessment and community input from trail users and others.
