Council has commenced a year-long trial of foreshore dog off-leash in pilot areas in Sandgate, Nudgee Beach, and Manly.
Beginning 12 October 2019, residents will be allowed to walk their dogs at these pilot sites: Manly – at the end of Davenport Drive, between the fishing platform and RQYS Port Centre Park; Nudgee Beach – in Nudgee Beach Reserve, south of the car park to Nudgee Road; and Sandgate – along Lover’s Walk between Second Avenue and Zeehan Street.
The start of the one-year trial comes after Queensland Government issued the guidelines for establishing off-leash areas in marine parks, based on the result of University of Queensland research on disturbance to migratory shorebirds.
Based on a 25 years worth of data, the UQ research revealed that the population of many of the migratory species have dramatically declined and are already close to extinction, including the eastern curlew, which has already declined by 80 percent in 30 years.
A joint project of Brisbane City Council, the Department of Environment Science, and the University of Queensland, the Foreshore Dog Off-Leash Area Project aims to protect and conserve shorebirds whilst creating recreational opportunities for dog owners in the identified foreshore dog off-leash areas.
By engaging the community about the areas where dogs are allowed to move about freely without a leash and areas they will need to be on-leash, disturbance to threatened shorebirds will be reduced.
On-site signage will be in place, and community education and engagement events to ensure voluntary compliance during the trial period.
During the trial period, the University of Queensland – School of Biological Sciences will monitor shore bird species present, habitat value, and levels of disturbance along the entire foreshore.
Members of the community are invited to have their say about the dog off-leash trial by completing an online survey before midnight on 17 November 2019.