UNESCO set to write to State Government following concerns Hamelin Pool stromatolites are not protected

Global agency UNESCO is set to write to the State Government after discovering the timber boardwalk at Hamelin Pool has been closed off for more than two years, leaving stromatolite formations at risk of being damaged. Shark Bay shire president Cheryl Cowell has raised fears the stromatolites at Hamelin Pool, 100km south-east of Denham in the Shark Bay World Heritage Area, are being trampled on by curious visitors since the boardwalk was closed more than two years ago after damage caused by cyclone Seroja. The site is registered as a place of world heritage significance with United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which it’s understood will write to the State Government asking for more protection of the complex ecosystem. Ms Cowell said she was surprised UNESCO was not informed earlier and that they were only just writing to the State Government now. “They are really quite fragile and they take a long time to get to the height that they are there and they take a very long time to form so it’s not something that you can just replace,” she said. Cr Cowell said more needed to be done to protect the World Heritage site before the listing was changed to reflect an endangered site. “We’re getting a lot of negative feedback from visitors, so it’s impacting our tourism . . . but my main thrust is the protection and following the guidelines for the World Heritage Convention,” she said. “One of the other major issues is that there is no signage to say there is no access to the stromatolites. “There’s an inconvenience that DBCA should have put up to have a sign on the road that says there is no access to the stromatolites at the moment or something to alert people.” The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, the State agency responsible for the World Heritage site, has previously stated they were still exploring their options for replacement of the boardwalk. Earlier this month in Parliament, Environment Minister Reece Whitby said the boardwalk had previously served to protect the fragile stromatolites from pedestrian access. “It is an important issue and were not going to rush it,” he said. UNESCO has been contacted for comment.