Managing tourism on Green Island, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park: conservation, commerce and compromises

Abstract

[Introduction]: This chapter reviews the environmental management of tourism on Green Island a coral cay located 45 minutes from Cairns in Tropical North Queensland, Australia. This 12-hectare coral cay is the single most visited destination on the Great Barrier Reef, attracting over 350,000 visitors a year. Green Island is a designated National Park, Marine Park and Recreation Area located within the Great Barrier reef Marine Park and World Heritage Area. Since 1990, a Green Island and Reef Advisory Committee oversees tourism on the cay, with the protected areas managed by a marine park ranger of the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS). Private leaseholders on Green Island are the Greeen Island Resort and Marineland Melanesia, a captive wildlife attraction with sea turtles and crocodiles on display. Other marine tourism businesses on Green Island include diving, sea walking (helmet diving) and parasailing operators. The history of human and tourism use of this coral cay and former detrimental impacts is first covered. This chapter then evaluates the regulatory, physical, economic and educational strategies now used to manage tourism sustainably on Green Island. It reviews the collaboration between Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Green Island Resort and other key stakeholders on this coral cay. The chapter will describe initiatives taken since the mid-1990s to manage tourism sustainably on Green Island, including the park management plans, environmental guidelines and negotiations with traditional Aboriginal owners. This co-operative management is necessary for sustainable tourist use of this cay.