Peter Valentine

Ecotourism and nature conservation: A definition with some recent developments in Micronesia

Abstract This paper presents a narrow definition of ecotourism which requires a two-way link between ‘ecotourism’ and nature conservation. Examples are given of how ecotourism might be used to support nature conservation directly in Micronesia. Case studies of attempts to establish such a relationship are given for Wotho Atoll (Republic of the Marshall Islands) and for the village of Enipein in the State of Pohnpei (Federated States of Micronesia). Prospects are discussed as well as problems which need to be overcome. A brief account is given of other problems facing Micronesia in the light of dramatic increases in tourism. The paper concludes with some suggested guidelines for the establishment of ecotourism.

Live-aboard dive boats in the Great Barrier Reef: regional economic impact and the relative values of their target marine species.

Using data collected from more than 1,000 tourists on live-aboard dive boats operating in the Cairns/Cooktown management area of the Great Barrier Reef, this paper estimates the regional economic impact of that live-aboard industry. It also uses a subset of these data (247 respondents) to investigate some of the relative ‘values’ of key marine species seen on the trips that included the Coral Sea location of Osprey Reef and which targeted multiple species of wildlife. The authors find that (i) each year, the live-aboard dive boats are directly responsible for generating at least AU

Water Quality Degradation of Coastal Waterways in the Wet Tropics, Australia

16 million worth of income in the Cairns/Port Douglas region; (ii) visitors participating in different types of trips gain their highest levels of ‘satisfaction’ from interacting with different types of species; and (iii) visitors to Osprey Reef would be willing to pay more for a ‘guaranteed’ sighting of sharks than they would for a ‘guaranteed’ sighting of large fish, marine turtles or a ‘wide variety of species’.

Increased use levels, effort, and spatial distribution of tourists swimming with dwarf minke whales at the Great Barrier Reef.

The Wet Tropics region of north Queensland has outstanding environmental values, contains the highest biological diversity in Australia, and borders the Great Barrier Reef. Comparable to other tropical areas worldwide, increasing urban and agricultural development in the Wet Tropics has caused concerns with respect to ecosystem degradation due to poor water quality in freshwater reaches and marine environments. Key issues currently identified in the Wet Tropics include erosion and subsequent stream turbidity and sedimentation, nutrients from erosion and fertiliser use and pesticide residue contamination. Issues such as reduced dissolved oxygen, acid sulfate soil runoff, and biological factors such as weed infestation, reduced and degraded riparian vegetation condition, and flow modification have also been identified. These issues mainly arise from agricultural activities with lesser effects from urban development. Management of pollution to improve in-stream water quality requires a long-term monitoring program to characterize water quality conditions over different flows and seasons. This type of monitoring program is underway; however, the focus is on the Great Barrier Reef and does not fully consider freshwater ecosystem health. Another major issue is the lack of a fully developed conceptual framework that links changed land use to water quality and subsequently to aquatic ecosystem health. In this paper, we establish the current level of water quality knowledge in the Wet Tropics while outlining a conceptual framework connecting changing land management practices and their effects to water quality and to ecosystem health.

Whale sharks in Ningaloo Marine Park: managing tourism in an Australian marine protected area

A permitted tourism industry has developed at the Great Barrier Reef based on swimming with dwarf minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata subsp.). Using sightings reported by tourism operators and vessel effort data, this study found a 91% increase in the number of whale encounters over six seasons (2003-2008), and a small number of encounter ‘hotspots’ accounted for a substantial proportion of these encounters. Analysis of industry effort data revealed that a shift in effort among existing permitted operators was the most likely cause of the increase in whale encounters. Although the number of permitted operators has remained capped since permits were introduced in 2003, this study found substantial latent capacity in these permits. Further research is needed to identify social carrying capacity related issues for high use areas targeted for minke whale encounters, and it is recommended that the number of permits not be increased while the potential for cumulative impacts of tourist interactions on whales remains unknown.