National Heritage-listed dinosaur footprints at the site recently chosen for a new Broome marina could upset plans that have taken decades to negotiate, according to a stakeholder group.

An agreement was recently reached between government stakeholders and Indigenous traditional owners after a report found the site between Entrance Point and Riddell Point on the West Australian coast did not impact on Aboriginal heritage.

But National Heritage-listed dinosaur footprints at the proposed marina site are likely to be a hurdle to development, according to a spokesperson from the Dinosaur Coast Management Group (DCMG) which includes community members, scientists and the Department of Parks and Wildlife.

"The site I understand that's being canvassed is part of a larger area that's National Heritage-listed due to the dinosaur tracks that are there," DCMG spokesperson Jan Lewis said.

Ms Lewis said the DCMG was not opposed to a marina but that any development would have to pass the National Heritage approvals process.

"The fact that this has been nationally listed as a National Heritage site shows to me that this is an important site for other reasons than for a marina," Ms Lewis said.

"It means that in all the planning, the presence of the prints and their National Heritage listing must be taken into account."

Broome's dinosaur footprints were National Heritage-listed in 2011 as part of a much larger area including dinosaur footprints along the coast for more than 100 kilometres north of Broome, as well as a range of other environmental and culturally important areas.

Rare and significant footprints

Dr Steve Salisbury has been catologuing dinosaur footprints around Broome, including this theropod print. ( ABC Kimberley: Erin Parke )

But the dinosaur footprints at the proposed marina site are particularly important according to Dr Steve Salisbury, a palaeontologist from the University of Queensland who is surveying prints in the area.

"As part of our ongoing research to document and better understand the dinosaur tracks of the Broome Sandstone, we are very familiar with that area," Mr Salisbury said.

"It preserves a number of important track sites, and some of the tracks there a quite rare and scientifically significant."

New dinosaur footprints are often found around Broome, and the site near the town's existing port is no exception according to Ms Lewis.

"One of our own members in Broome has been walking between Entrance Point and Riddell regularly over the last few weeks and months and has found 400 tracks, some of which weren't previously known by the scientists," Ms Lewis said.

The recent agreement on a site between traditional owners and government stakeholders was seen by many as a turning point in discussions about building a marina in Broome that has seen many proposals come and go over recent decades.

A design for the latest marina proposal has yet to be settled on, but the DCMG points out that any plan will have to work around the ancient tracks.

"Because it's such a dynamic environment, the sands shift seasonally and new tracks are being discovered all the time," Ms Lewis said.

"This is another element of heritage that has to be considered in any decision making and planning for the site."

The presence of National Heritage dinosaur footprints comes as no surprise to the government stakeholder group that has selected the site, according to the groups chairman and Shire of Broome president, Sos Johnston.

"The Working Group is aware of this and will undertake all necessary site assessments and feasibility studies in accordance with requirements prior to any works progressing," Mr Johnston said