A brief report on the assessment of the impacts from aircraft anf other factors on visitor use and amenity at Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Island

Innes, J.

Ormsby, J.

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Staff PapersCopyright resides with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.For more information contact:LibrarianGreat Barrier Reef Marine Park AuthorityPO Box 1379Townsville Qld 4810 AustraliaPhone: +61 7 47500701Fax: +61 7 47726093email: library@gbrmpa.gov.auInnes, J. and Ormsby, J. A brief report on the assessment of the impacts from aircraft anf other factors on visitor use and amenity at Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Island. Reef Research. 9(3): 1999; 7-8. Staff Paper 1999-21 r A B FI'REPORT ON" THE ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPAcTs FROM AIRCRA ~..~ i": i.(; ""AND" 0TI-~R FACTORS ON VISITOR USE AND AMENITY AT .~  .o - . ' "  - :WHiTEHAVEN BEACH, WHITSUNDAY ISLAND. . . . .  " ' ~ 9 Jame's Innes ~ and Jayne Ormsby  2 ~ z Consultant - Social Scientist, c/- GBRMPA ' " " ~ Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority ~'~"lhis.pat~er briefly presents the results of a research 9 ~ project commissioned by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) to report upon the inipact aircraft and watercraft activity have upon " the use and amenity values visitors attribute to 9 WhitehavenBeach. The final report from this study will be available in Jariuary 2000. This report complements an article that  appeared in the I 9 previous edition 0~ ] ' Reef Research O191.' :/ ' a. ,- 9, No 2 b . . . . .  t : Harmltonand : ; - |  - Innes thht..~ re'.- * : - ] can transport up to 250 people, small- to medium-si: watercraft that carry 15 t o 30 people, andseaplanes anhelicopters. Marine Parks managers recognise that the 9 vai'iety of airand watercraft that pi'ovide people with. the opportunity to acceds Whitehaven Beach9 also affect peoples' use and amenity of the area as well as i~ 'natural values. The challenge for the Authority and QPWS is to ~': :" "a~;en Beach ,  "~K kitsut lda? I shnd .  " hi,charon Beach achieve abalance of use at " Whitehaven Be/~ch that ks acceptable to att users and oth~ stakcholders. The ~m~ority ! and adjoining mainland, :howing Whitehaven Beach)9 Whitehaven Beach research follows on from social (figure 1). The beach is a popular dest~, ati~n for visitors "~ : research undertaken at Whitehaven B~ach by Gooch t 9 the Whitsundays ~iffd locals alike; with approximately . 0991) and a field experiment conducte~ at Green Is =l~nd 14 000 visitors travelling there each yearL~:Thfi need ~ in 1986 to measure the impact of S~aplan'~s onpeoples' protect he Unique natural and chlt!Jrai values of the enjoyment (Brown 1986). The W~tehave~,research also built upon applied,researrh~ftt;t has'b~een . - area combined with the pressure of high us~ presents a undertaken by the Co4p~ra6veCReseai.cl~,~e~tre~-~ , , , , . , r  for challenge for management. Ecologically Sustain~ible Development of the Great ~uaddress this challenge the GBRMPA, with the :~  Barrier Reef (CRC Reef Research Centre) (Shafer et eensiana 1"arKs ana wtmme ~ervtce (QPWS), haa C.;,'!,~J~ 1998). Similar work reporting on the impact of aircrad: developed a specific site plan for the Whitehaven-l}ay ~ ~?,-",, ,~ " . . . . . . .  ,-~ . . . . .  '~  ~T~ ~^~ and Beach area9 In keepmg wath the Marine Park's' . . . .  ~,/:onducted for the United States Parks Service philosophy of multi le use, the ob ect of the site ~ is " "p j " p i :'(Tabachinick etal. 1992) and other environmental to protect he natural and cultural values of thearea ~ " .Z.~.:~_~ . . . . . . . . . . .  ,. _,: 9 . . . . . . . . .  . . . .  ~ *- : ,~t !a t :e  mana~elnem appucauons m r umteo ~ta:es whilst rowdm a ran e of users o ortunt to access , ~-  p g g pp "ty ~ " : fSl'iaf4~* and Hammitt 1995 Tarrant et al 1995~ and enjoy the area. ~. . r  ~: :K~. . . ,  ~ ~ -:;~: ~.'~"S~ .: Data~for the Whitehaven research was obtained in t~ee The object of the research project was to prov idb"~"  : '  " -, --'-" . . . .  9 . . . . .  ways ~) vial,or survey; a) on-m~e oDsel-vauons; ano cl a specific information to the Authority's Planning Section to report on the level of impact aircraft and watercraft activity had upon the values visitors ascribed to Whitehaven Beach9 The Authority commissioned consultant social psychologists Jayne Ormsby and ~ott  Shafer to undertake this project. People mainly travel to Whitehaven Beach using services provided by local Whitsundays tour opera:ors 2. The tour services provided include a large cat ferry ~at  This figure is sourced from Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Environmental Management Charge returns and based upon the number of visitors who access the site thrcrz.s the services ofWhitsunday tour operators, sail yourself yac:-r charters (bareboat), seaplanes and helicopters. Visitors abo~d private vessels also access the beach but the exact numbers- cfthis type of visitor are not known. a Logistical support for the Wl~tehaven proiect was provided by Fantasea Cruises, Hamilton Island Aviation, Operators ofBz~y J and Ocean Rafting, On the Edge and QPWS Marine Parks. Reef  ResearchcDecem' l ;e r  1999 "~ Page  7 r local interest group survey. Self-administered questionnaires were  completed by 583 day trip visitors on-board tourist boats dur ing  March and Apri l  1999 ~. There was a 97% response rate to the questionnaire. Of  the sample, 56% were female and 44% were male, with 40% aged between 20-29 years of age. Fifty per  cent were Austral ian visitors (4% local residents) and 50% were international  travellers, mostly from Great Britain (41%), Europe (2I%) and North America (21%). Twenty- two per cent had previously visited the Whitsundays mad 10% had visited Whi tehaven Beach before. 9 The presence of other people and their activities did not generally affect visitors' social amenity whilst at Whitehaven Beach9 Twelve per  cent reported that they felt there were too many people on the beach, whilst 85% indicated that the number  of other people did not concern them. There was no significant inf luence in the activities of aircraft or vessels upon visitor use and amenity at Whi tehaven Beach. Ninety per cent of the people interv iewed indicated that the noise, distance and number of these craft d id not affect their enjoyment of "~,qaitehaven Beach. The majority of peopIe interv iewed (88%) indicated that they would like Whi tehaven Beach to remain in its present state - natural  and undeveloped 9 Eighty-nine per cent rated their Whitehaven Beach visit as highly satisfying with 69% indicating to return in the future. ~ they would  definitely like Both visitors to the Whitsuffdays interv iewed and members of local interest groups were of the opinion that Whi tehaven Beach was most  valuable for its natural and ecological processes, conservation, recreation and educational opportunit ies. The values associated with economic Opportunit ies and ~piritual meaning were of . . . .  . ' ~ "! ; ~) ' 7 i  I - . . . .  ' ' :3g  Whitehaven Beach and  Bay area by both th a . ; . - . - : :  ,7 : :  J . /  e AUt I t ,~ I I LV  9 ~., r and QPW8 are prov id ing opportunity  for balanced :,'~ ~ ~:~ t im multiple use of the area in l ine wi th  the site Nan  ancl '"; i~ '  : ' ?~ the settmgs-based structure of the Whitsundays Plat~ of '; ;%':*" Management.  " . , , ; ,  ~ . ; , :~ . , ,  Ormsby and Shafer 's  Whi tehaven study provides one -'~(:~:~'; TM source of information to inform GBRMPA and QPWS ' ,9:" g ;Y i~ l  .planning decisions. The long-term benefit of sud  science information is real ised when it compoum value when developed into a t~ne series data set: social science tools developed for the Whitehavez provide GBRMPA with the capacity to regular ly information on usage and amenity  values f9 r spe locations with the Mar ine Park. Dur ing 2000 the Authority, wi th  the CRC Reef Re: Centre, wiU examine the development  of social sc monitoring programs based upon the Whi tehaven research and other relevant social research. Like the long-term monitor ing of the biophysical aspects of the . 9 , Great Barrier Reef World Her i tage Area, the .... development of social science monitor ing programs to . 9 regularly report on a social indicators will add to the' : Authority's capacity to fairly balance compet ing uses of " the Marine Park whi lst  protect ing the area's unique natural and cultural values. References .. Brown, A. C. 1986, Seaplanes at Grr~:n Island, Unpub shed report 9 .'" to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Townsvilie. Gooch, G. 1991, Recreational patterns and visitor experiences in " ' . .  the WhJtsundavs, Unpublished report o the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Townsville. Hamilton, hi. 1999, Aircraft activity levels and sound impacts in , "~" the recreation opportunity spectrum along Whitehaven Beach, Wtfitsundays Islands region of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, ~ ~" Unpublished report o ~e Great Barrier Reef Marine Park ~ least importance to respondents 9 The most popular  Authority, Townsville. " Y ~ 9 . ,G) words that people used to describe Whitehaven Beach. - _~. , ; 9 . ,  " . ~.,~e'a- . . . . . .  ;~ ,~. ;~ ~ ;c.j ' -  ~A, PrP'I'~OaHfihH . . . .  T2 9 -- a i . . . . .  . ,  . , .~ r" ~naler, S.C-andHammitt. W.E. 1995, Congruer;cy~i6fair~'~-i;~;'. ~ - f  "~1 . " "  . . . . . .  -2  . . . . .  .y.., l e l ~ x l n ~  anu.cannmg,  quiet ant  exr~erience dimk.,~.~,,n~ ,-a,,a;~,,. ;,:,,4 7.~.~ ~..'a'~" - - o , ; ,  .~.-.~v i~  9 t ranqui l .  The clean beach ,  pure wh te sand 'dear  " behaviours in witdtrness r,u,..o c,~o..~ 17 : ' , c~ ~';~ ," -- 9 - .~  ~ "~ 9 water and unspoflt-natural  enwronment" were a l so  : "  - , .'.. " ", . . . .  . "  ~ , " ; ~f f  ' 2 ~1 Whit^hav^~ ;._ 1. ,1 ~. a - ~ , Shafer, S.C.,Inglis G.J.,Johnson V.Y. andMa~shall N A. 1998,;.~:'*:'" ~'1 = ca~ ueacn renecteu in many eo tes ~ Vi . . . .  " "' 9 - 9 "~ .. ' . ' .  , ": ~ 9 . p P . tsltor E~ces  and Percewed.Cond~hons  Day Trips to theGreat - d~*- ' : .1 responses." 9 9 , . Barrier Reef, CRC Reef Research Te~hhical Report 21 GRC~keei ,~" "t-" : ,  .- . ." ;,.. . - " , Research Centre, Tov/rlsbffid.~ " ' - . . . . .  ' - ~ ' - - " ~";.. : :~ ; "  ; ~ne three experiences the majority o~ respondents were To" ~" " - " "~: :"" ~' ..... " .'" "- "." ::i' ";-%~ ,4-,':'o - seekine rel~ited ~t6 r~arfi,-inafin,~ ;.  ,*,~*,~,--~,~,~ - - ; , ' -  - .~acnmu:~, B., Howe, R.R. and Fideli, S. 1992, Estimation of " /  9  , ~-~. ~ ~,~ ~ 9 . - ,  o . . r ~ ' r  , ? ,?-  "V"?~:~%~q~-~ c tues  . .~LAir~aft Overflight Exposure in the Nat onal Parlfs and Forest Service "-. ; ~ ,- " : ' "  2~nqaa2atSe~m,n~mg,anasn~ enjoyl~n~ gthebeaeh~ .Wilderness, Nal ionalParkServiceRepori ,  USDi, Rep6rtNo.  9201, '*," ~ : 9 a , ant  retaxing and sunbathin~ ~ . Denver .~ " " . Tarrant, M. A., Haas, G. and M anfredo M. 1995 Fadors affecting - '" evaluation of aircraft overflightsof @ilderness areas, Society and The natural an~t :shenic'qualities of Whi tehaven Beach were attributes that visitors en joyed the most9 The area was not valued h ighly  as a physically or sod'~lly active place. ~ '~ ~'- -~" The Whitehaven Beach study has highl ighted that a number of experiential  preferences and conditions can be developed as social indicators to monitor changes in social amenity for part icular locations in the Mar ine Park. The results of the W hitehaven study are also consistent wi th  the more general  f indings of Gooch's 1991 research9 The f indings also demonstrate that current management  strategies being appl ied to Natural Resources, 8: 351-360. Wachenfeld, D. R.. Oliver, J. K, and Morrissey, J. I. (eds/1998, State of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area 1998, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Townsville. Williams, D. R. 1996, Managing tourism use in Australia's Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, in Proceedings qf Plamfing Sustainable To r sm Se finar 1996, Bandung, Indonesia. 3 Volunteers from the QPWS Whitsundays Volunteers provided research assistance to the consultants by administering interviews to visitors on-board commercial tour vessels9 Page 8 Reef  Research  December  1959 

A brief report on the assessment of the impacts from aircraft and other factors on visitor use and amenity at Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Island

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