The state government has abandoned plans for a $3.3 million discovery centre on Rockingham's Penguin Island.
It came amid mounting critcism from community members and scientists about the impact of construction and increased visitation on the island's population of little penguins.
The only little penguin colony in the Indian Ocean, numbers on the island have plummeted from about 1,600 in 2007 to around 300 in 2019.
WA Environment Minister Reece Whitby said the centre would not go ahead on the island and the current building would be demolished and the site rehabilitated.
Erin Clitheroe, who completed a doctorate on the impact of climate change on the little penguins' terrestrial habitat, welcomed the move.
"I think it's a really positive outcome for the little penguin colony on Penguin Island, which is in a bit of trouble at the moment, it is declining rapidly," she said.
"There are a number of factors that are contributing to that decline, with changes in climate and food availability being major ones.
"It is really going to be up to the penguins to be able to adapt to that, but we have to remove as many of these other pressures as we can."
Closures to beat the heat
The announcement also included plans to help little penguins survive hot days, with plans to close the island to visitors when temperatures were forecast to top 35 degrees.
Penguins moult during the summer, losing all their feathers and are unable to swim or fish while the new feathers grow over a period of two to three weeks.
"While they're moulting, they're really quite vulnerable to heat stress, they're stuck on the island, they can't go out fishing or swimming," Dr Clitheroe said.
"They can't really handle temperatures over 35 degrees for more than a couple of hours."
She said one of their natural behaviours would be to go down to the water to have a paddle.
"They don't go out swimming, but they can put their feet in the water," she said.
"If there are people in their way, or they perceive the visitors on the island as a threat, they may be prevented from actually carrying out that behaviour, which could lead to hyperthermia."
'Hope for the colony'
She said that while climate change, and the subsequent impact on breeding conditions and food availability meant that the population had a long road ahead to rebuild, they had an opportunity.
"They do have a chance to adapt to that and by removing all these other pressures, it's going make that road a little bit easier for them," she said.
"We can't just give up and think that it's all too late. I really do have hope for this colony."
A win for community
Save Rockingham's Little Penguins campaign convenor Dawn Jecks said the decision came after months of campaigning.
"The community were not going to let up on this," Ms Jecks said.
"Over time, more and more information was getting out there and the community were very, very engaged.
She said Mr Whitby "eventually got his head around it" and was provided with all the information that he needed.
"And I'm just so delighted that he that he listened and has made such a really smart decision," she said.
Ms Jecks said the steep decline in the population had mobilised the community and the local council, with growing concern that penguins could disappear altogether.
She said penguins were an important icon to the city.
"They're on the logos of kid's school jumpers, it's on the city's crest, on signage," she said.
"For us to stand by and let this allow this to happen, we just we just couldn't do it."
She said the campaign would continue to monitor the population and make sure protections were kept up.
"We absolutely have to make sure that they deliver on everything that's been committed to," she said.
"We really need to get that population up, and it's going to take years and years."
