Ecovandals poison trees
ECOVANDALS have killed 15 native trees along the Bilinga beachfront opposite a new development site.
Poison appears to have been poured into holes bored into the trunks of mature coastal banksia, cotton wood and casuarina trees on the beach at Johnston St on Pacific Pde.
Gold Coast City Council confirmed the dead trees – which are opposite a beachfront construction site – had died due to “multiple acts of vandalism”.
“Some prick has come along and poisoned them,” said local resident and Surfrider Foundation Gold Coast and Tweed president Greg Howell.
“I’m not saying it is them, but it’s right across the road from a development which has just started excavation.”
He said the perpetrator should be tracked down and prosecuted to avoid others doing the same in the area.
Marking tape was wrapped around some of the trees.
The issue was originally reported to council in March and workers are still investigating.
Mr Howell said he was upset to see the destruction considering the hours conservation groups spend planting trees at beaches across the city.
“It’s absolutely frustrating, we have put in mega hours working with Griffith University planting out dunes up and down the Gold Coast,” Mr Howell said.
“These are trees which could potentially stop waves from coming through people’s back yards, it’s just bloody disgraceful.”
The vandalism is the latest in a series of incidents, including the poisoning of a popular moreton bay fig in a Mermaid Beach park and the destruction of two 80-year-old norfolk pines on Burleigh headland.
A spokeswoman said council was aware of the killing of the trees at Bilinga and would “undertake investigations”.
“The City of Gold Coast was made aware of multiple acts of vandalism carried out on trees located in the dunes along Bilinga,” she said.
“This vandalism at the beach end of Johnston St resulted in the death of mature aged trees.”
The spokeswoman said the council would be monitoring the foreshore at Bilinga in case more trees are killed.