Friends of the Port River were disappointed with the draft Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary (ADS) Management Plan 2024, which was recently out for public consultation. This is the first update of the ADS Management Plan since the original plan was adopted in 2008 and is proposed as a seven year Plan. It’s hoped that significant improvements will be made before the 2024 Plan is finalised.
The submission made by Friends of Port River about the draft Plan expressed concern that
- much of the ambition of the Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary Act 2005. and the 2008 ADS Management Plan has been watered down in the draft 2024 Plan
- Figure 2 provides a conceptual diagram of pressure and threats to dolphins in the 2024 draft Plan, however the Plan doesn’t identify how the Government will respond to those pressures and threats; what actions it will take and in what timeframes
- the Plan fails to identify how long-term, strategic, and coordinated effort will be achieved and how other agencies (beyond the NP&WS) will actively contribute to realising the Act’s objectives including sustaining the dolphin population; maintaining, protecting and restoring key habitat features; improving water quality; promoting ecologically sustainable development.
Submissions made by the City of Port Adelaide Enfield and the Port Adelaide Residents Environment Protection Group (PARPEG) raised concerns too about the draft Plan.
The City PAE submission highlights that
- While the draft Plan sets out the direction for management of the ADS over the next 7 years under themes, objectives and strategies, it does not meet the statutory requirement within the Act, which states that “The Plan must set out— (a) the proposals of the Minister in relation to the management of the Sanctuary; and (b) the priorities that the Minister will pursue in order to achieve the objects and objectives of this Act in relation to the Sanctuary”.
- The interim report from the 2022 Parliamentary Select Committee’s investigation into the deaths of the dolphins in the ADS found that “The number of marine safety officers and park rangers needs to be increased to provide high visibility within the ADS and respond to threats within the sanctuary.” And that “ There needs to be a sustainable funding base to support an increase in the number of marine safety officers and park rangers dedicated to the ADS”. Council recommends these findings are upheld and considered as part of the ADS Management Plan and implementation program.
- Most development is assessed against the provisions of the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act’s Planning and Design Code (the Code). While the Code contains an ‘Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary Overlay’, this unfortunately has very limited practical effect…its requirements are only called up for development within the actual sanctuary and are not called up for development proposals on land adjacent to or nearby the sanctuary…..(and) does not address the broader intent of the Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary Act and the interplay between the sanctuary and the land that surrounds it.
PAREPG’s concerns include that while
- The Adelaide Dolphin Act interacts with 11 fundamental pieces of State legislation and has provision for it’s own financing, and legislative powers. In spite of these extraordinary powers and funding the local dolphin population is dwindling.
- The government is yet to release it’s response to the Select Committee report to investigate dolphin deaths, which surely must have a major influence on the formation of the management plan.
- Effective communication is one of the first steps in any strategy to promote understanding and participation, and we find it wanting in both the strategies and practice e.g. Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary operations and achievements are buried within the DEW Annual Report
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