Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Impacts of Off-Road Vehicles (ORVs) on Macrobenthic Assemblages on Sandy Beaches

  • Published:
Environmental Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Sandy beaches are the prime sites for human recreation and underpin many coastal economies and developments. In many coastal areas worldwide, beach recreation relies on the use of off-road vehicles (ORVs) driven on the shore. Yet, the use of ORVs is not universally embraced due to social conflicts with other beach user groups and putative environmental consequences of vehicle traffic on sandy shores. Such ecological impacts of ORVs are, however, poorly understood for endobenthic invertebrates of the intertidal zone seawards of the dunes. Consequently, this study quantified the degree to which assemblages of intertidal beach invertebrates are affected by traffic. The study design comprised a series of temporally replicated spatial contrasts between two reference sites (no ORVs) and two beaches with heavy ORV traffic (in excess of 250,000 vehicles per year) located in South-East Queensland, Australia. Macrobenthic assemblages on ORV-impacted beaches had significantly fewer species at substantially reduced densities, resulting in marked shifts in community composition and structure. These shifts were particularly strong on the middle and upper shore where vehicle traffic was concentrated. Strong effects of ORVs were detectable in all seasons, but increased towards the summer months as a result of heavier traffic volumes. This study provides clear evidence that ORVs can have substantial impacts on sandy beach invertebrates that are manifested throughout the whole community. Demonstrating such an ecological impact caused by a single type of human use poses a formidable challenge to management, which needs to develop multi-faceted approaches to balance environmental, social, cultural, and economic arguments in the use of sandy shores, including management of “beach traffic.”

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anders FJ, Leatherman SP (1987) Disturbance of beach sediment by off-road vehicles. Env Geol Water Sci 9:183–189

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Australian Bureau of Statistics (2004) How many people live in Australia’s coastal areas? Year Book Australia, 2004. Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra

    Google Scholar 

  • Bascom W (1980) Waves and beaches: the dynamics of the ocean surface. Anchor Press, Garden City, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Blankensteyn A (2006) O uso do caranguejo maria-farinha Ocypode quadrata (Fabricius) (Crustacea, Ocypodidae) como indicador de impactos antropogênicos em praias arenosas da Ilha de Santa Catarina, Santa Catarina, Brasil. Rev Bras Zool 23:870–876

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blott SJ, Pye K (2001) GRADISTAT: A grain size distribution and statistics package for the analysis of unconsolidated sediments. Earth Surf Process Landf 26:1237–1248

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown AC, McLachlan A (1990) Ecology of sandy shores. Elsevier, Amsterdam

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown AC, McLachlan A (2002) Sandy shore ecosystems and the threats facing them: some predictions for the year 2025. Environ Conserv 29:62–77

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buckley R (ed) (2004) Environmental impacts of ecotourism. CABI Pub., Cambridge, MA, USA

    Google Scholar 

  • Buick AM, Paton DC (1989) Impact of off-road vehicles on the nesting success of Hooded Plovers Charadrius rubricollis in the Coorong region of South Australia. EMU 89:159–172

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Celliers L, Moffett T, James NC, Mann BQ (2004) A strategic assessment of recreational use areas for off-road vehicles in the coastal zone of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Ocean Coast Manage 47:123–140

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke KR (1993) Non-parametric multivariate analyses of changes in community structure. Aus J Ecol 18:117–143

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke KR, Ainsworth M (1993) A method of linking multivariate community structure to environmental variables. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 92:205–219

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke KR (1999) Nonmetric multivariate analysis in community-level ecotoxicology. Environ Toxicol Chem 18:118–127

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke KR, Warwick RM (2001) Change in marine communities: an approach to statistical analysis and interpretation. PRIMER-E, Plymouth

  • Cockroft AC, McLachlan A (1993) Nitrogen budget for a high energy ecosystem. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 100:287–299

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crawley KR, Hyndes GA, Ayvazian SG (2006) Influence of different volumes and types of detached macrophytes on fish community structure in surf zones of sandy beaches. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 307:233–246

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davenport J, Davenport JL (2006) The impact of tourism and personal leisure transport on coastal environments: a review. Est Coast Shelf Sci 67:280–292

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Ruyck A, Soares AG, McLachlan A (1997) Social carrying capacity as a management tool for sandy beaches. J Coast Res 13:822–830

    Google Scholar 

  • Defeo O, McLachlan A (2005) Patterns, processes and regulatory mechanisms in sandy beach macrofauna: a multi-scale analysis. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 295:1–20

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Du Preez HH, McLachlan A, Marais JFK, Cockroft AC (1990) Bioenergetics of fishes in a high-energy surf zone. Mar Biol 106:1–12

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dugan JE, Hubbard DM, McCrary MD, Pierson MO (2003) The response of macrofauna communities and shorebirds to macrophyte wrack subsidies on exposed sandy beaches of southern California. Est Coast Shelf Sci 58:25–40

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glasby TM, Underwood AJ (1996) Sampling to differentiate between pulse and press perturbations. Environ Monit Assess 42:241–252

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Godfrey PJ, Godfrey M (1980) Ecological effects of off-road vehicles on Cape Cod. Oceanus 23:56–67

    Google Scholar 

  • Gormsen E (1997) The impact of tourism on coastal areas. GeoJournal 42:39–54

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heymans JJ, McLachlan A (1996) Carbon budget and network analysis of a high-energy beach/surf-zone ecosystem. Est Coast Shelf Sci 43:485–505

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hosier PE, Kochhar M, Thayer V (1981) Off-road vehicle and pedestrian track effects on the sea-approach of hatchling loggerhead turtles. Environ Conserv 8:158–161

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • James RJ (2000) From beaches to beach environments: linking the ecology, human-use and management of beaches in Australia. Ocean Coast Manage 43:495–514

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones AR, Gladstone W, Hacking NJ Australian sandy-beach ecosystems and climate change: ecology and management. Aust Zool in press (in press)

  • Klein YL, Osleeb JP, Viola MR (2004) Tourism-generated earnings in the coastal zone: a regional analysis. J Coast Res 20:1080–1088

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lake PS (2000) Disturbance, patchiness, and diversity in streams. J N Am Benthol Soc 19:573–592

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Legge Wilkinson M (1996) Human impacts on sandy beaches - results from the SOS95 beach survey, Surfrider Foundation Australia, Dee Why, New South Wales, Australia

  • Luckenbach RA, Bury BR (1983) Effects of off-road vehicles on the biota of the Algodones Dunes, Imperial County, California. J Appl Ecol 20:265–286

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McLachlan A, Jaramillo E, Donn Jr TE, Wessels F (1993) Sandy beach macrofauna communities and their control by the physical environment: a geographical comparison. J Coast Res 15:27–38

    Google Scholar 

  • McLachlan A, Dorvlo A (2005) Global patterns in sandy beach macrobenthic communities. J Coast Res 21:674–687

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McLachlan A, Brown AC (2006) The ecology of sandy shores. Academic Press, Burlington, MA, USA

    Google Scholar 

  • Micallef A, Williams AT (2002) Theoretical strategy considerations for beach management. Ocean Coast Manage 45:261–275

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moss D, McPhee DP (2006) The impacts of recreational four-wheel driving on the abundance of the Ghost Crab (Ocypode cordimanus) on subtropical beaches in SE Queensland. Coast Manage 34:133–140

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nordstrom KF (2000) Beaches and dunes on developed coasts. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • Palmer JF, Leatherman SP (1979) Off-road vehicle usage on federally managed coastal parklands, UM/NPSCRU Report No. 46

  • Peterson CH, Bishop MJ, Johnson GA, D’Anna LM, Manning LM (2006) Exploiting beach filling as an unaffordable experiment: benthic intertidal impacts propagating upwards to shorebirds. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 338:205–221

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Priskin J (2003a) Tourist perceptions of degradation caused by coastal nature-based recreation. Environ Manage 32:189–204

    Google Scholar 

  • Priskin J (2003b) Physical impacts of four-wheel drive related tourism and recreation in a semi-arid, natural environment. Ocean Coast Manage 46:127–155

  • Richardson D, Schlacher TA, Pietsch C, Thompson LMC, McLean I, Smith R (2006) Noosa North Shore: Ecological impacts of vehicular traffic (Final report prepared for Noosa Shire Council). WBM Oceanics, Brisbane, Australia

    Google Scholar 

  • Rickard CA, McLachlan A, Kerley GIH (1994) The effects of vehicular and pedestrian traffic on dune vegetation in South Africa. Ocean Coast Manage 23:225–247

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schlacher TA, Schoeman DS, Lastra M, Jones A, Dugan J, Scapini F, McLachlan A (2006) Neglected ecosystems bear the brunt of change. Ethol Ecol Evol 18:349–351

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schlacher TA, Thompson LMC (2007) Exposure of fauna to off-road vehicle (ORV) traffic on sandy beaches. Coast Manage 35:567–583

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schlacher TA, Thompson LMC, Price S (2007a) Vehicles versus conservation of invertebrates on sandy beaches: quantifying direct mortalities inflicted by off-road vehicles (ORVs) on ghost crabs. Mar Ecol - Evol Persp 28:354–367

    Google Scholar 

  • Schlacher TA, Dugan J, Schoeman DS, Lastra M, Jones A, Scapini F, McLachlan A, Defeo O (2007b) Sandy beaches at the brink. Divers Distrib 13:556–560

  • Schlacher TA, Thompson LMC Physical impacts caused by off-road vehicles (ORVs) to sandy beaches: spatial quantification of car tracks on an Australian barrier island. J Coast Res in press (in press)

  • Short AD (1996) The role of wave height, period, slope, tide range and embaymentisation in beach classifications - a review. Rev Chil Hist Nat 69:589–604

    Google Scholar 

  • Silberman J, Andereck KL (2006) Economic value of off-highway vehicle recreation. J Leis Res 38:208–223

    Google Scholar 

  • Soares AG, Schlacher TA, McLachlan A (1997) Carbon and nitrogen exchange between sandy beach clams (Donax serra) and kelp beds in the Benguela Coastal Upwelling Region. Mar Biol 127:657–664

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Soares AG (2003) Sandy beach morphodynamics and macrobenthic communities in temperate, subtropical and tropical regions: a macroecological approach. Ph.D thesis, University of Port Elizabeth

  • Steiner AJ, Leatherman SP (1981) Recreational impacts on the distribution of Ghost Crabs (Ocypode quadrata). Biol Conserv 20:111–122

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stephenson G (1999) Vehicle impacts on the biota of sandy beaches and coastal dunes - a review from a New Zealand perspective, Department of Conservation, Wellington, New Zealand

  • Underwood AJ (1981) Techniques of analysis of variance in experimental marine biology and ecology. Oceanogr Mar Biol Annu Rev 19:513–605

    Google Scholar 

  • Underwood AJ (1997) Experiments in ecology: their logical design and interpretation using analysis of variance. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K

    Google Scholar 

  • van der Merwe D, van der Merwe D (1991) Effects of off-road vehicles on the macrofauna of a sandy beach. S Afr J Sci 87:210–213

    Google Scholar 

  • Warwick RM, Clarke KR (1993) Increased variability as a symptom of stress in marine communities. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 172:215–226

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Watson JJ, Kerley GIH, McLachlan A (1996) Human activity and potential impacts on dune breeding birds in the Alexandria Coastal Dunefield. Landscape Urban Plan 34:315–322

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilkinson T (2001) On the beaten path. National Parks Conservation Association March-April online: http://www.npca.org/magazine/2001/march_april

  • Williams JA, Ward VL, Underhill LG (2004) Waders respond quickly and positively to the banning of off-road vehicles from beaches in South Africa. Wader Study Group Bull 104:79–81

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolcott TG, Wolcott DL (1984) Impact of off-road vehicles on macroinvertebrates of a Mid-Atlantic beach. Biol Conserv 29:217–240

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wright LD, Short AD (1984) Morphodynamics variability of surf zones and beaches: A synthesis. Mar Geol 56:93–118

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We greatly appreciate the assistance of our postgraduate students who valiantly battled climatic extremes and manually processed truckloads (literally) of sand. “Thank You” to Luke Thompson, Sam Price, Sophie Leonardi, Anna Patricio, Marina D’Andrade, Rohan Wilson, Tara Nielsen, Serena Lucrezi, and Stewart Lloyd. The local government authority charged with managing the beaches, Noosa Shire Council, provided funds for this study, and its pro-active approach to base coastal management on scientifically robust assessments of impacts was instrumental in conducting the work.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Science, Health, and Education, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, QLD-4558, Australia

    Thomas A. Schlacher & Ian McLean

  2. BMT WBM, 490 Upper Edward Street, Q-4000, Brisbane, Australia

    Darren Richardson

Authors
  1. Thomas A. Schlacher
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Darren Richardson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ian McLean
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Thomas A. Schlacher.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Schlacher, T.A., Richardson, D. & McLean, I. Impacts of Off-Road Vehicles (ORVs) on Macrobenthic Assemblages on Sandy Beaches. Environmental Management 41, 878–892 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-008-9071-0

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-008-9071-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation