The Great Barrier Reef is a popular tourist destination in Australia that faces tensions between protecting the environment and supporting the local economy through tourism. The Australian government established the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) to manage these tensions and protect the reef. The GBRMPA works with various stakeholders, including local communities, fisheries, shipping industries, research groups, tourists, tour operators, and non-governmental organizations. Each group has responsibilities and strengths in protecting the reef, but are also limited in their impact. By coordinating these groups, the GBRMPA aims to balance tourism usage with environmental conservation to sustain both the reef ecosystem and local livelihoods that depend on it.
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S3 GE Handout 3.2 - Tourism GW3
1. Prepared by Miss Lena Teo Teacher’s copy
EDGEFIELD SECONDARY SCHOOL
SECONDARY THREE HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
CHAPTER ONE: GLOBAL TOURISM (GATEWAY 3)
Geographer’s name: __________________________ ( ) Class: 3 ____ Date: _______________
MANAGING THE IMPACTS OF TOURISM
Management:
Making decisions that benefit both the natural environments visited by tourists & the lives of local
population This to ensure that a particular site & its features remain in prime/good condition.
(1) Promote &
Practice
Sustainable
Tourism
Definition of sustainable tourism
o A organized form of tourism that allows tourism to continue without:
• causing damage to the environment
• leaving negative impacts on the surrounding society & culture
o Also involves minimizing leakages from tourist revenues by:
• Training locals to perform skilled tourism jobs
(eg. management & marketing)
• Developing homestay accommodations
(eg. visitors pay local people directly for accommodation)
• Promoting local food & drink in restaurants
provide market for local F&B industry
(2) Conservation Definition of conservation
o Careful management and use of resources so that these resources
will not be depleted.
o It includes protecting fragile environments (eg. coral reefs /
mangroves / other environments easily affected by change)
UNESCO (organisation that is very involved in conservation)
What is a UNESCO site?
o A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place (eg. a forest / mountain /
lake / island / desert / monument / building / complex / city) that is
listed by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) as of special cultural or physical
significance.
What’s the big deal about UNESCO sites?
o The status as a UNESCO site gives the place a special cultural or
physical significance that makes people think that they should visit it.
o If the place is special enough to fulfill the criteria of the UNESCO
selection, there must be something really extraordinary or meaningful
about it that would make people want to visit that place to discover
and learn about its cultural or physical significance.
How is UNESCO involved in conservation?
o Provides funding to threatened sites to conserve them.
2. Prepared by Miss Lena Teo Teacher’s copy
Tensions in Managing Tourism Impacts (TB pg 69-71)
Tensions are caused by differences between the needs & expectations of different groups:
(a) Tensions between Tourists & Locals (b) Tensions between Tourists & the Environment
Describe: how does tensions between tourists
& locals arise?
Support with the example of Bali (describe the
impacts of tourist visits on the local people):
i. Congestion
ii. Deprivation of water supply
iii. Cultural insensitivity
Describe: how does tensions between tourists & the
environment arise?
Natural attractions/scenic environments may be
dependent on tourist income for conservation.
Yet tourist inflow may, instead, contribute to
damage of the attraction itself.
Support with the example of Machu Picchu (describe
the impacts of tourist visits on the environment):
i. Erosion of trails (footpath erosion)
ii. Littering
iii. Noise pollution
iv. Damage to land & artifact
3. Prepared by Miss Lena Teo Teacher’s copy
THE RESPONSIBILITIES
OF VARIOUS GROUPS
(with reference to
AUSTRALIA’S GREAT BARRIER REEF)
It’s tough
balancing the
needs of
various groups!!!
- Tourism revenue
- Jobs for locals
- Low business traffic
- Restrict harmful tourism-
related projects
- Limit no. of tourists
VS
What makes the Great Barrier Reef a tourist hotspot
(ie. a popular tourist destination)?
What are the impacts of tourism on the local population?
What are some issues affecting the health of
the reef? Why?
4. Prepared by Miss Lena Teo Teacher’s copy
Which organization did the Australian Government establish to protect the site?
State and describe the approach that the GBRMPA adopts to manage the reef.
Describe a specific area in which the GBRMPA has attempted to bring about improvements for the reef (eg.
coping with climate change/declining water quality etc)
Give examples of how the tensions between tourists & the locals / tourists & the environment are being
managed (refer to TB p.71 Measures to manage the tensions)
5. Prepared by Miss Lena Teo Teacher’s copy
Describe the RESPONSIBILITIES
of the different groups
involved in protecting the
Great Barrier Reef
What are some STRENGTHS
of this group’s involvement in
protecting the reef?
What are some LIMITATIONS
of this group’s involvement in
protecting the reef?
a) Fisheries
b) Sea Country Partnerships
c) Local communities
d) Commercial Shipping Industry
e) Research Groups
6. Prepared by Miss Lena Teo Teacher’s copy
What are some other groups that the GBRMPA can involve to protect the reef? (refer to TB p. 72-75)
Describe the RESPONSIBILITIES
of these different groups & how
they can help to protect the reef
What are some STRENGTHS
of this group’s involvement in
protecting the reef?
What are some LIMITATIONS
of this group’s involvement in
protecting the reef?
f) Tourists
g) Tour Operators
g) Non-Governmental
Organisations (NGOs)