Moreton Island Essay, Research Paper

Set of Criteria

The Criteria is used for the principle standard that Human Impact is having on

Moreton Island. The criteria will allow the sites and activities on the island to be

assessed for maximal Environmental, Economic and Social benefits

Environmental

The Site or Activity:

a)Causes minimal degradation of natural environment

b)Allows native animals to continue living naturally

c)Has minimal effect on the water cycle

Economic

The Site or Activity:

d)Attracts overseas and interstate visitors

e)Provides employment for residents

f)Profits are financially benefiting and upholding the natural

environment

Social

The Site or Activity:

g)Provides safe and environmentally friendly activities that people

enjoy

h)Has social activities that the whole majority of the community

accepts

Bulwer

a)Causes minimal degradation of natural environment- In present form

Bulwer maintains a minimal degradation of the area because all the built structures

are already there. The 4WD along the roads around Bulwer are well maintained and

because of the flat topography of the land combined with the large She Oaks and

trees alike wind erosion is kept to a minimal.

Rating 7

b)Allows native animals to continue living naturally- Bulwer has many

introduced species, along with the amount of clearing around the township it would

be hard for native species to live and act naturally in a very open and vulnerable area

for most of Morton?s ground dwelling species e.g.. Short nosed Bandicoot and Scrub

Turkey.

Rating 4

c)Has minimal effect on the water cycle- Under Bulwer is a large water table

from which Bulwer obtains its water. This does not have a major effect on the table if

the removal of the water is controlled. Bulwer has septic tanks as their sewage

system. This is a good system if maintenance is upheld, in which Bulwers systems

are.

Rating 8

d)Attracts overseas and interstate visitors- Because of Bulwer?s location and

it?s accessibility it is a frequently visited spot by tourists. The dwellings are of a poor

standard but have all the facilities that are required to sojourn.

Rating 6

e)Provides employment for residents- Bulwer has only a limited amount of

employment to offer and because of the nature of the employment (e.g. Janitors, and

Managers of the hostel) 95% of the jobs on offer would require residents to fill them.

Rating 8

f)Has profits that are financially benefiting and upholding the natural

environment- the money made from activities like camping goes back into

nation parks and wildlife, but Bulwer?s township is still poorly maintained with few

rubbish bins, car shells ect. This shows that the money is not all going into the area.

Rating 4

g)Provides safe and environmentally friendly activities that people enjoy-

Bulwer has a safe swimming beach and bush walking paths around the area these are

safe and environmentally friendly

Rating 10

h)Has social activities that the whole majority of the community accepts-

the activities at Bulwer are quite and don?t disturb others so therefor the majority of

the community have no problem with it

Rating 9

Cowen Cowen

a)Causes minimal degradation of natural environment- Lots of trees and

vegetation has been cut down for buildings ( from war times and present times) and

roads. There are allot of domestic gardens in place of natural plants.

Rating 6

b)Allows native animals to continue living naturally- Cowen Cowen has

many introduced species, along with the amount of clearing around the township and

domestic animals (dogs and cats that rome freely) it would be hard for native species

to live and act naturally in a very open and vulnerable area for most of Morton?s

ground dwelling species e.g. Sand Goanna and Scrub Turkey.

Rating 4

c)Has minimal effect on the water cycle- The sewage is treated in septic

tanks and not directly pumped into the water system, however if the tanks are not

properly maintained the water may leak into the under water system. Cowen Cowen

is a rich area so therefor there is not a worry about cost of maintain and the septic

tanks would be properly maintained.

Rating 9

d)Attracts overseas and interstate visitors- Because of the beach being

blocked of Cowen Cowen is mainly a private township and residents like it that way

and fight hard to keep it that way.

Rating 3

e)Provides employment for residents- Cowen Cowen has only a limited

amount of employment if any to offer because Tourists are not desirable the

community has only one shop. So therefor really there is only one or maybe two jobs

in the town.

Rating 2

f)Has profits that are financially benefiting and upholding the natural

environment- Though it is a reserved community Cowen Cowen is well

maintained and the environment is well looked after.

Rating 8

g)Provides safe and environmentally friendly activities that people enjoy-

Cowen Cowen has one of the safest swimming beaches on the island bush walking

track around the area these are safe and environmentally friendly.

Rating 10

h)Has social activities that the whole majority of the community accepts-

the activities at Cowen Cowen are quite and don?t disturb others so therefor the

majority if not the whole of the community have no problem with it.

Rating 10

Tangalooma Resort

a)Causes minimal degradation of natural environment- The resort has cut

down a large area of native coastal bush. The old part of the resort has also planted

allot of Introduced species around (e.g. Palm trees) but because they are controlled

they are not a threat to the rest of the Island. The new section of the resort has taken

this into account and has tried to be more environmentally friendly by not cutting

down as many trees and not planting and Introduced species of trees.

Rating 7

b)Allows native animals to continue living naturally- Tangalooma is the

most open of all the sites on the Island it also has many introduced species, which

would make it hard for native species to live and act naturally in the very open and

vulnerable area for most of Morton?s ground dwelling species.

Rating 2

c)Has minimal effect on the water cycle- Because of the amount of land the

resort has cleared and the fact that the resort uses fertilizers to keep the Introduced

grasses and plants, when it would rain all the fertilizers and nutrients in the soil

would be washed into the ocean. also all there storm water and run off is directed

onto the beach (Refer to photo 1).

Rating 8

d)Attracts overseas and interstate visitors- Tangalooma is probably the most

ideal holiday destination for overseas visitor with no camping gear and who would

like to sojourn in comfort(due to it being the only resort on the Island). Because of

the style of the resort it looks attractive people will come to stay down there. The

location of the resort does not matter because there are beach buses that travel to the

resort for those without 4WD.

Rating 10

e)Provides employment for residents- Tangalooma has many of employment

opportunities even though they are specialized what it does do is make the employers

residents so therefor it is creating jobs for residents. The more people who live in the

resort the more money that they earn they will spend at the resort.

Rating 9

f)Has profits that are financially benefiting and upholding the natural

environment- The resort has shown that they are putting allot of money into

the environment with the way they are designing and creating the new section. They

are now planting natural plants and trying to revegitate sand hill that they had

removed. The resort has also put in place a car park that is more easily managed and

reduces erosion.

Rating 8

g)Provides safe and environmentally friendly activities that people enjoy-

Tangalooma has the safest swimming beaches on the island it also has water craft

recreational hire, diving (scuba and snorkeling), basketball, a pool, ect, bush walking

track around the area these are safe and environmentally friendly and it gives

information to the tourist on how to keep the environment natural and first class.

Rating 10

h)Has social activities that the whole majority of the community accepts-

the activities at Tangalooma are what most people go there for so the majority of the

community have no problem with them.

Rating 9

This is the way in which the resort disposes of its storm water to prevent the water picking up nutrients

from the surface and carrying the ocean

Southern End / Kooringal

a)Causes minimal degradation of natural environment- In present form

Kooringle maintains a minimal degradation of the area because all the built structures

are already there. The area of the southern end is constantly changing naturally. The

township of Kooringal is small and is not being developed at all.

Rating 7

b)Allows native animals to continue living naturally- Kooringle is a very

hidden township with only the necessary trees cut down. Native animals could live

comfortably alongside their human counterparts without either one being disturbed.

Rating 8

c)Has minimal effect on the water cycle- Kooringal has septic tanks as their

sewage system. This is a good system if maintenance is upheld, in which Kooringal?s

systems are.

Rating 8

d)Attracts overseas and interstate visitors- It is a very hidden out of the way

part of the Island The dwellings are of a better standard than Bulwer and it is a very

quite and peaceful place. Because of its discreet location though it is not a place on

the tourist map to go.

Rating 4

e)Provides employment for residents- Kooringal has only a limited amount of

employment to offer and because of the nature and location of the employment (e.g.

Janitors, and caretakers) 100% of the jobs on offer would require residents to fill

them.

Rating 9

f)Has profits that are financially benefiting and upholding the natural

environment- the money made from activities like camping goes back into

nation parks and wildlife, but Kooringles?s township would not be making much

money even though the town is still maintained well with rubbish bins around the

place.

Rating 6

g)Provides safe and environmentally friendly activities that people enjoy-

Kooringal?s only activities would be bush walking and fishing around the area these

are safe and environmentally friendly if paths are followed and rubbish taken with the

person.

Rating 7

h)Has social activities that the whole majority of the community accepts-

The activities at Kooringle are quite and don?t disturb others so therefor the majority

of the community have no problem with it.

Rating 9

Specific Site

Tangalooma Resort

Tangalooma Resort has in the past been seen as a money hungry organization that

will do anything with out thinking of the conciquenses, to the environment to make

an extra dollar. But in resent times and the pressure that has been applied by

environmental groups the resort has been made to clean up its act.

What is the new Resort?

The new resort has redeemed Tangalooma Resort. It has not planted any introduced

species of plants. The generator that is now used is in a sound proof shed that filters

the polutants that the generator produces (Refer to Photo 2). Having the new resort area

was going to generate alot more people in that section of the island and therefor more

cars. The new section of the resort has taken this into account and has tried to be

more environmentally friendly by not cutting down as many trees and placeing a car

park for the resedents and visitors to visit. The car park has been made to isolate the

cars into one area and in turn the degregation of the land will be more managable.

What is the Resort doing the environment?

The Resort has in place the Tertiary sewage system, this is the best sewage system

availible and reduces nutrients from being pummed into the ocean it also recycles the

sewage by watering the gardens with it. The resort is now educating the public about

how to be environmentally freindly because because it realises that if they educate

the community it will be cheaper for them to control the damage that is cause by

tourests doing the wrong thing e.g. not walking on paths of littering.

In concluding the resort is now benefiting the whole Moreton community and will

contiue to do more so as it grows. It is providing many jobs and making the island

known to people overseas. It now is spending alot of money on keeping the

environment as natuall as possible, because it now realises that by haveing a natuall

environment they will attract more visitors and in turn make more money. So maby

the resort is still money hungry vultures but as long as they keep the environment in

its natuall form and keep educating people on the environment because if they dont

make some money they wont be opperating and then morton Island would have no

resort and it?s economy will be severly hurt.

Table Of Contents

Pg

Set Of Criteria-2

Applying the Criteria

Bulwer3

Cowen Cowen4

Tangalooma Resort5

Southern End/Kooringal7

Specific Site

Tangalooma Resort9

Visuals

Water Run Of6

Generator Shed10

Moreton Island-Human Impact Study8