Attitudes to entry fees to national parks: results and policy implications from a Queensland case study

This paper examines visitor attitudes and whether visitors are willing to pay to enter Lamington National Park and under what circumstances they would do so. First a sample of visitors is asked a general (normative) question as to whether visitors should pay to visit Lamington National Park and in another question (positive) they are asked whether they would be more willing to pay if the money collected would be invested in the park to improve visitor facilities and conservation work. The results show that visitors are more willing to accept the 'user-pays' principle if the money will be used for the benefit of the national park and its visitors. It was found that foreigners are more in support of a 'user-pays' fee than Australians, and among Australians, those visitors from Queensland are the least willing to accept the idea of a 'user-pays' fee to enter the park. The results indicate that if visitors can be shown the benefits (both for visitors and for conservation) of charging an entry fee, then visitors are more likely to support such a concept than when they are unaware of the benefits of a user-fee. The study shows that on average foreigners are willing to pay more than Australians. Finally, the regression results identify significant factors that influence respondents attitudes about whether or not visitors should pay to visit Lamington National Park. They also specify suggested amounts to visit the national park

Lamington National Park: Its Appeal to Visitors and their Concerns

This article draws on a sample of 622 day and overnight visitors to the 0' Reilly 's/Green Mountains site of Lamington National Park, Queensland, Australia, to identify the socio-economic and other pertinent characteristics of visitors and the main reasons and attributes that attract them to the site. Particular attention is given to birds and their attributes as attractions. The primary economic injection accruing locally as a result of visits is considered and the difference that the presence of birds makes to local expenditure by visitors is explored. The extent of support for and objection to the introduction of a fee for entering Lamington National Park is estimated. The many suggestions received from visitors for environmental improvements at this site are discussed. It is suggested that unless a way can be found to regulate the number of visitors to this site and obtain extra funds to finance improvements there or find other alternatives, the magnitude of many of these problems will grow. This will necessitate a fresh look at the desirability or otherwise for charging entry fees to Lamington National Park

Exploiting Marine Wildlife in Queensland: the Commercial Dugong and Marine Turtle Fisheries, 1847-1969

The historical exploitation of marine resources in Queensland has only been partially documented. In particular, the history of the commercial fishing of dugongs and marine turtles has received comparatively little scholarly attention. Since European settlement in Queensland, various human activities have exploited these\ud resources. We present documentary and oral history evidence of the scale of those industries. Based on extensive archival and oral history research, we argue that diverse fishing practices occurred and that the sustained exploitation of dugongs, green turtles, and hawksbill turtles led to observable declines in the numbers of these\ud animals – now species of conservation concern

Ecology of chytridiomycosis in rainforest stream frog assemblages of tropical Queensland

In the wet tropics of Queensland, Australia, eight species of stream-dwelling frogs have experienced population declines. Some declines were associated with an emerging infectious disease of amphibians (chytridiomycosis) caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. We examined the spatial and temporal pattern of infection prevalence in a sample of frog populations. Infected adults and tadpoles of all species were found, and infections occurred at every site. Infection prevalence varied among species and was always < 10.0% in adults but ranged from 0.75 to 76.0% in tadpoles. In this system tadpoles and adults of some species may act as disease reservoirs, experiencing avirulent infections, whereas other hosts (declining species) experience virulent infections. Infection prevalence was higher during the cool, dry winter season (May to September) and at high elevations (600–800 m), suggesting regulation by environmental conditions, including temperature and precipitation. We found no relationships between infection prevalence and mean body condition, fluctuating asymmetry of hind limbs, population density, or the presence of metamorphosing tadpoles and juvenile frogs. Although it is not certain whether chytridiomycosis was responsible for past frog population declines in the wet tropics of Queensland, the pathogen is now endemic. Our data indicate that at the landscape level, environmental conditions have strong effects on host-pathogen dynamics. These effects interact with species-specific behavior or immune function and may be important underlying determinants of chytridiomycosis epizootics and emergence