Speaking in Parliament this week, Mrs Britnell said she wasn’t sure if a proposed conservation zone that would ban dogs and recreational horse riders was “a path we need to go down”.

“I do not see an issue with dogs being walked on leashes and recreational horse riders being on designated pathways. We should manage situations, not lock things away,” she said.

The conservation zone, proposed as part of the draft management plan for the reserve, would stretch from east of the Killarney boat ramp to Big Baldy, near Warrnambool, and is aimed at protecting local flora and fauna.

Mrs Britnell said there was an ability to “get the balance right” between human interaction, recreational activity and positive environmental outcomes.

“My feeling is that this part of the Belfast Coastal Reserve master plan does not attempt to find that,” she said.

“Sometimes locking things up can actually leave the environment more unmanaged, and there are certainly unintended consequences that come from that. As agriculturalists we have learnt over the years to get the balance right between the land and productivity, and that is by managing inputs and outputs, and monitoring, evaluating and constantly prioritising to ensure that balance. We can do the same for the environment and the coast, and get that balance right.”

An online petition against the conservation zone, started by Killarney resident Viva-Lyn Lenehan, has gathered more than 2700 signatures.

BirdLife Australia’s hooded plover manager Grainne Maguire said the Belfast Coastal Reserve was one of two locations in Victoria with the highest density of hooded plovers anywhere in the world. It was also home to several migratory shorebirds and the endangered orange-bellied parrot.

“It has taken over a decade of lobbying for a management plan to be written for this high biodiversity area, which will finally attempt to restore the balance that has been lost,” she said.

“A management plan should seek to alleviate threats to native wildlife so they can persist and so sustainable use of the coasts can be achieved for the benefit of all. Identifying appropriate sections of coast for dog walking and recreational horse riding will be key to this process.”

The draft management plan can be viewed at engage.vic.gov.au/belfast. Submissions close on March 16.

Information sessions are also being held. A session will be held in Port Fairy on Thursday, February 22 from 4.30pm-7.30pm at the community services centre.

Koroit Theatre will host another session on Saturday, February 24 from 10am-1pm.