SIT Graduate Institute/SIT Study Abroad SIT Digital Collections Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection SIT Study Abroad Fall 2008 Hinchinbrook Area Boater’s Opinions Of and Compliance With Dugong Conservation Initiatives Matilda Andersson SIT Study Abroad Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection Part of the Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons Recommended Citation Andersson, Matilda, "Hinchinbrook Area Boater’s Opinions Of and Compliance With Dugong Conservation Initiatives" (2008). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 561. https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/561 This Unpublished Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the SIT Study Abroad at SIT Digital Collections. It has been accepted for inclusion in Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection by an authorized administrator of SIT Digital Collections. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Hinchinbrook Area Boater’s Opinions Of and Compliance With Dugong Conservation Initiatives Image by GBRMPA Matilda Andersson World Learning, SIT Study Abroad, Cairns December 2008 Advisor: Russell Butler, Girringun Aboriginal Corporation Abstract Taking into consideration past history of the area this report aims to examine the views of Hinchinbrook Area boaters and fishermen regarding conservation initiatives and indigenous hunting. A combination of surveying local boaters using a questionnaire and interviews conducted with local experts and people involved in dugong conservation resulted in both numeric results and many personal opinions. Conservation initiatives include voluntary speed guidelines, voluntary transit lanes, and a Traditional Use of Marine Resource Agreement. Boaters’ opinions and compliance with all the initiatives was examined using a questionnaire which included a True or False section, personal opinions, compliance, and sighting information. While knowledge of transit lanes and Native Title hunting legislation was found to be high, knowledge of the TUMRA and speed guidelines was found to be lower. General compliance with guidelines and transit lanes was found to be low especially among frequent users of the Hinchinbrook area. Unsolicited comments were also taken into consideration when evaluating respondent’s opinions on indigenous hunting as well as the management of the Hinchinbrook waterways. Interviews were mainly used in the examination of possibilities for future management and advertising of current initiatives, the creation of a community based conservation group and the possibly for altering current educational programs. 1 Acknowledgments Thank you to Russell Butler for inspiring me to do this project and providing me with ideas and connections to the people who know all about dugongs and dugong conservation. Thank you to Tony Cummings for helping me to get this project started with lots ideas and lots of sources. Thank you to Leon Jackson, Stephanie, and everyone else at GBRMPA who helped me gather information and answered and endless number of questions for me. Thank you to everyone at Girringun, for making me feel at home, answering my questions and providing me with a great place to stay in Cardwell. Thank you to Margaret Thorsborne for answering questions on the history of dugong conservation in Cardwell and about the current conservation groups. Thank you to John Winters for answering questions about the Tree-Kangaroo and Mammal group, his former community survey in the Atherton tablelands, and the feasibility of starting a similar group or conducting a similar survey in the Cardwell area. Thank you to all of my friends to kept me sane during the entire process. Finally thank you Lindsay, Kyle and Jane for each editing a section of my paper, without you I would be lacking in commas, and would probably make much less sense in general. Table of Contents Abstract.................................................................................................................................. 1 Acknowledgments.................................................................................................................. 0 Table of Contents................................................................................................................... 1 List of Figures and Tables...................................................................................................... 0 Chapter 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 1 Section 1.1 Summary of Study Aims................................................................................. 3 Chapter 2. - Study Background.............................................................................................. 5 Section 2.1- Risks to Dugongs........................................................................................... 5 Section 2.1.1 - Indigenous Hunting ............................................................................... 5 Section 2.1.2 - Boats ...................................................................................................... 6 Section 2.1.3- Other Risks ............................................................................................. 7 Section 2.1.4 –Port Hinchinbrook.................................................................................. 7 Section 2.2 – Dugong Conservation in the Hinchinbrook Area ........................................ 9 Section 2.2.1 Voluntary Speed Guidelines .................................................................... 9 Section 2.2.2 Voluntary Transit Lanes ........................................................................ 10 Section 2.2.3- Native Title and TUMRA..................................................................... 10 Section 2.2.4 – Publicity for Dugong Conservation Incentives................................... 12 Section 2.2.5 – Understanding Boaters’ Non-Compliance with Speed Guidelines Introduced for Dugong Conservation .......................................................................... 14 Section 2.2.6 – Reef Guardian ..................................................................................... 15 Section 2.2.7 – The Tree Kangaroo and Mammal Group............................................ 15 Chapter 3. Methodology ...................................................................................................... 17 Section 3.1 Introduction................................................................................................... 17 Section 3.2 Research Location......................................................................................... 17 Section 3.3 Development of Questionnaire ..................................................................... 19 Section 3.3.1 – Testing the Questionnaire ................................................................... 19 Section 3.4 Data Collection ............................................................................................. 20 Section 3.5 Data Analysis................................................................................................ 20 Chapter 4. Results ................................................................................................................ 22 Section 4.1 General Information and Demographics....................................................... 22 Section 4.2 – General Dugong and dugong conservation incentive knowledge.............. 25 Section 4.3 - Personal Opinion ........................................................................................ 29 Section 4.3.1 – Responses to Survey Questions .......................................................... 29 Section 4.3.2 – Unsolicited Comments........................................................................ 33 Section 4.4 – Pair-wise cross tabulations......................................................................... 34 Chapter 5. Discussion and Conclusions............................................................................... 39 Section 5.1 - Knowledge of Dugongs and Dugong Conservation Guidelines................. 39 Section 5.2 - Knowledge and Opinions of the TUMRA and Native Title Legislation.... 40 Section 5.3 - Perceived Increase or Decrease of Dugong Populations and Dugong Sightings .......................................................................................................................... 41 Section 5.4 – Examination of Unsolicited Comments..................................................... 42 Section 5.6 - Perceptions of Inequality Related to Actions ............................................. 43 Section 5.7- Examination of cross-tabulations ................................................................ 44 1 Section 5.8 - Feasibility for Creation of a Dugong Conservation Group and Conducting a Full Community Survey................................................................................................... 45 Section 5.9 - Current Management and Education .......................................................... 47 Section 5.10 - Recommendations for Local Management and Education....................... 49 Section 5.11 - Limitations and Future Research.............................................................. 50 Chapter 8. Appendices......................................................................................................... 55 Appendix A. Cardwell Dugong Survey..........................................................................