An ecological site hosting 2,000-year-old microscopic ancient thrombolites in Western Australia’s south may be damaged beyond repair after visitors hoping to catch the aurora australis were seen walking in restricted areas.
Lake Clifton attracted dozens of visitors during the aurora display in early May, tipped as one of the best places near Perth to see the lights.
Now, extensive damage to the ancient thrombolites and microbial mats are what remain, according to palaeontologist Heidi Allen.
Damage to ‘special place’
Thrombolites look like round rocks but are microscopic ancient organisms that have helped scientists understand the history of planet Earth.
Dr Allen did an assessment of the site whilst working in Lake Clifton this week.
Speaking to ABC South West’s Saturday Breakfast program, she said the damage has sparked concern amongst the scientific community.
“This is a really special place and a threatened ecological community, and they’re very vulnerable to that kind of disturbance,” Dr Allen said.
“Unfortunately, people have not stuck to the boardwalk and the signage that says to stay off the microbial mat ground and the thrombolites. There’s been people walking all over the site.”
Perth resident Katie McGinty said there were so many visitors to Lake Clifton that night that it was difficult to move around the boardwalk.
Ms McGinty took her family to see the aurora, but said she was disappointed to see the lack of concern by other visitors despite signage asking people not to walk on the thrombolites.
“You had numerous people with torches walking down through the reeds to the shoreline,” she said.
“There were about 50 people, if not more, walking down there.”
Descendants of the earliest life forms on Earth
The site at Lake Clifton is the largest reef of living thrombolites in the Southern Hemisphere, and are some of the rarest living fossils on Earth.
The rock-like formations sit amongst microbial mats, which are formed by layers of microscopic organisms.
Similar microbial mats are located at Shark Bay in WA’s Gascoyne region.
Following the aurora, Dr Allen said the mats were covered in footprints.
She said so little is known about these ecosystems, and it was unclear if the damage will be permanent.
But she said there was damage to the mats from 90 years ago that was still visible today.
More protection needed
Peel-Harvey Catchment Council chair Paddi Creevey said she hoped the incident would prompt an education campaign about why these organisms were so significant.
She said further infrastructure to accommodate the number of visitors in the area is a consideration, but the problem lies in people not understanding what thrombolites are.
“I don’t believe anybody would deliberately damage them if they knew just how important they were,” she said.
“I think that we have a responsibility as a community for all of us now to spread the word to go visit this place. It’s a living natural wonder, but please look after it.”
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Dr Allen said despite the damage she still thought it was important for the public to be able to see the Lake Clifton thrombolite reef.
“We need to understand the significance of the site, as well as it being 2,000 years old,” she said.
“It’s important for people who want to understand the sort of timescale of life on our planet, to appreciate that life didn’t always look like it does now.”