Eurobodalla Shire Mayor has slammed the National Parks and Wildlife Service over new limits to visitor numbers to for Barunguba (Montague Island).
The State Government Agency has imposed new daily limits following a community consultation process last year.
Under the change, a maximum of 40 people will be permitted on any tour, and visitors to the island will be limited to 120 people within any 24-hour period.
Councillor Hatcher said Council’s submission to the National Parks and Wildlife Service addressed areas of concern within the plan, however these appear to have been ignored.
“Poor visitor behaviour and ensuring a positive visitor experience were posed as the rationale for reducing visitor numbers to the island,” he said.
“We are not aware of the assessment methods used by National Parks to determine that a reduction in visitor numbers will improve behaviour or the experience.
“While I certainly support our environmental obligations to protect the island, the economic implications for long-term Eurobodalla businesses are significant, and I’m concerned the process has failed to work with the industry to transition through this change.”
Two Narooma boat charters are currently licenced by National Parks to land on the island, famously home to penguins, seals, and important European and Indigenous heritage.
“The reduction in visitor numbers to the island could have implications for the viability of Narooma’s boat charter operations,” the Mayor said.
“When the charters are impacted, so is Narooma’s visitor economy. I’d like to see National Parks come to the table and work with the operators as they transition through this change,” he said.
