Little penguins on WA island will be pushed to ‘breaking point’ by construction of new centre, expert says

Plans to build a $3.3m "discovery centre" on Penguin Island in Western Australia will push the threatened bird colony to breaking point, conservationists say.

The state's new environment minister, Reece Whitby, unveiled a concept design on Tuesday, which would see the existing centre on the island demolished and a new one built 50 metres away.

Construction would take place over two months in summer 2023. The design for the new centre would include a raised deck to allow penguins to nest below and may include a sprinkler system to help the birds cool down during heatwaves.

"The new centre will enable the island and the City of Rockingham to better care for the little penguin residents while safely welcoming human visitors," Whitby said.

"The penguins are facing a number of critical and linked challenges - climate change, marine heatwaves and a scarcity of food - and I want to make sure we are doing everything possible to support the local population."But conservationists said the plans are a distraction and the best solution would be to "leave the island alone".

The little penguin population on Penguin Island is suffering from declining population numbers and a horror breeding season, where half the chicks born in 2021 died, equating to roughly 10% of its overall population.

The island's colony is the second northernmost population to be found in Australia and is thought to be genetically distinct - though scientific testing to confirm this has not yet been carried out.

While the penguins are on the frontline of climate change, human activity has also hampered their ability to cope, with reports of birds being struck by marine craft and being disturbed by humans on the island.

The proposal has drawn the ire of scientists and the island's tourism operator, who said it was made without consultation and pre-empts an upcoming stakeholder meeting to work out a plan to halt the penguin decline.

Dr Joe Fontaine from Murdoch University said the proposals for a raised structure and a sprinkler system were "red herrings" as nesting habitat was not an issue for the colony.

"What we're seeing here again and again is using climate change as an excuse," Fontaine said.

"They're not acknowledging there are other human impacts going on. The best solution would be to just leave the island alone."

High foot traffic in penguin breeding grounds can cause considerable stress for the birds.

Though some birds will stray, when it comes to nesting they generally prefer sites away from human activity and, once established, remain faithful to that specific nest.

In summer heatwaves when adult penguins are moulting their feathers, they will try to cool down in shallow water as they are unable to swim during the two-week moulting process.

But when large numbers of visitors are present on the island, particularly on the beach, the penguins will avoid these areas which sometimes leads to deaths from heat exhaustion as they cannot reach the water.

Fontaine said that the sound, vibration and other disturbances would only push the colony closer to "breaking point".

"This isn't Sim City," Fontaine said. "We're somehow playing in this magic world where you can wave the wand, pick up the old centre and plop it into the new area and do it all in two months.

"The idea that it's possible to do the [demolition] and construction in two months is a heroic assumption."

The chief executive of Perth Wildlife Encounters, Chad D'Souza, said his organisation - which operates the existing centre on Penguin Island - supported a 2016 proposal to build a "rehabilitation centre" on the mainland at Mersey Point.

As Penguin Island is closed to tourists for two months each year, a mainland centre could allow the conservation program to operate year round while controlling the movements of tourists and allowing critical rehabilitation to be undertaken for sick or injured penguins.

D'Souza said he had been told the proposal was rejected by the WA Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions in favour of building on Penguin Island itself as the agency owned the land.

"We just don't believe what they've established is going to save the penguins," D'Souza said. "It's in the wrong place, it should be built as a rehabilitation centre on the mainland."

The City of Rockingham mayor, Deb Hamblin, said in a statement the council had previously "advocated" for the proposal on the mainland and was in the process of reviewing the current design.

"The city holds serious concerns for the future of the little penguin population on Penguin Island," Hamblin said.

"Last year, council officially endorsed the position that conservation of the little penguin colony requires additional resources from the state, including a specific management plan and the formation of a dedicated working group to govern the matter."

A department spokesperson said in a statement that there was a "long history" of penguins nesting beneath built structures and rejected the suggestion the announcement had been made without consultation.

"The design and location of the new centre is being undertaken in a manner that is sensitive to the resident penguin population and with guidance from researchers and technical experts," they said.