Page 2222 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 16 August 2006
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Government and industry met regularly to discuss policy implementation. Later this year a new Queensland tourism strategy and the destination plans for 14 sites in Queensland are expected to be released. The Director of Destination Queensland, Mr David Morgans, suggested that opportunities were available for certification and branding for quality ecotourism products in protected areas, including world heritage areas, for more resourcing and for better community engagement, including traditional owners. Debates continue over infrastructure development in Queensland national parks. One can imagine that quite a lot of environmental areas there need to be continually protected while tourism development goes ahead. Whilst opportunities for direct private investment in these protected areas were limited, there were opportunities for investments in partnerships on land outside protected areas, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land.
The Executive Director of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Mr Andrew Skeat, provided an overview of protected area management in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. He explained that the authority is implementing a partnership approach with the Queensland government and industry, based on common interests in protecting the reef. Industry contributions include payment of environmental management charges and provision of assistance with reef care, monitoring and evaluations through water sampling and compliance reporting. The authority implements a statutory management planning framework and permit regime, but by reducing red tape it has become more responsive to many natural and human impacts that are degrading the reef, and it is aiding in reef resilience.
The authority provides now 15-year certification to approved tourism operators as a way of encouraging high standards and facilitating investment and sectoral growth. We heard that tourism companies that were trying to set up in the reef prior to that may only have had three-year permits issued, and it was not financially viable for them to borrow money to get their program up and running and hope to get that money back in the three-year period.
Mr Col McKenzie, the Executive Director of the Association of Marine Park Tourism Operators, explained the significant financial management issues that are inherent in protected area and tourism management. He profiled the changing tourism market and discussed various challenges that governments are currently grappling with as part of the review of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
The committee learnt about various other sustainable financing and co-management initiatives in protected areas and sustainable tourism in Queensland. We were told of several accreditation schemes such as the Brisbane City Council’s Ecotourism Accreditation and the Green Globe certification. We saw at first-hand how eco-resorts and eco-adventures are managed, including conservation and rehabilitation activities, energy, water and waste management. Green Island is almost self-sufficient. We saw there how the people produce their own drinking and washing water out of recycled water. They produce their own electricity.
Mrs Dunne: Yes, while the people of the ACT are trying to save their schools, Mick Gentleman is inspecting Green Island. Good on you, Mick.
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