Scientist and First Nations custodians are calling for better protection of unique ancient fossil formations of Perth. Lake Clifton’s fossils, known and Thrombolites, were damaged when crowds hunting for a good vantage point to watch the recent aurora event trampled over the fragile organism.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00It was the aurora display that broke the internet. A once-in-a-decade show with millions flocking
00:08to vantage points to catch a glimpse. In Lake Clifton, 90 minutes south of Perth,
00:15that enthusiasm left a long-lasting mark. Overzealous aurora hunters leaving the boardwalk
00:21and trampling over delicate 2,000-year-old thrombolytes and microbial mats to get a good
00:26view. Their actions damaging the fossils. There was probably between 50 and 100 people
00:32off the boardwalk at this site, down on the microbial mat ground and thrombolytes at some
00:37point in the night. A similar feature in WA's north still bears
00:41evidence of human traffic from 90 years ago. They take a very long time to repair, if ever,
00:47so the damage is really disturbing. Wesley Lamont went to the site after being
00:52prompted by an online aurora viewing map. He says the combination of large crowds and
00:59a lack of signage led a lot of people to venture off the pathway.
01:04When I first got there, there was hundreds of people. I didn't actually go to the boardwalk.
01:08Now conscious of this mistake, Mr Lamont has alerted creators of the viewing map.
01:13I actually contacted the person that designed the map and basically said, can you remove
01:16Lake Clifton? We don't really want to be recommending people go there. They've already fixed it.
01:21Local custodians are calling for better recognition of the cultural site.
01:25And we don't police it. It's up to people to have respect of what it is.
01:33The site managers are now seeking advice on how to better protect these unique living
01:37fossils as part of a planned multi-million dollar upgrade.