Expert Details
What are the biggest impacts of rapid population and tourism growth? Ask Alan what can be done about them.
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Name: Alan Stokes |
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Description:
Alan is the Executive Director of the National Sea Change Taskforce, which represents the interests of coastal councils and communities experiencing the effects of rapid population and tourism growth.
Set up in 2004 the Taskforce provides national leadership in addressing the impact of the ‘sea change’ phenomenon and provides support and guidance to costal councils attempting to manage the impact of rapid growth.
Questions Posted by: kerryn McEwan |
| Qn: I am a Coast & Marine Managemnt Officer on the Eyre Peninsula of SA. Many of the coastal villages on EP are still on septic systems and stormwater is managed by draining directly into the marine environment. The population of these villages swell in some cases by ten times during peak holiday times when the demand on septic systems leads to overload and there are know cases whree the septics are overflowing directly into the sea. The local councils can not afford to change these systems, and due to the seasonal demand are reluctant to do anything. What can be done and who should (could) bear the cost?? Ans: The impact of visitors and other non-resident populations on coastal areas is a matter of major concern to coastal councils. The current demographic data prepared by the Australian Bureau of Statistics does not capture these visitors, but often the number of non-residents exceeds the number of permanent residents in coastal communities during holiday peaks. This often results in the sort of impacts you have identified, with overloaded sewage systems and demands on water, drainage systems, waste collection and other services exceeding capacity. Resources are currently allocated to local councils on the basis of their permanent resident population, so coastal councils are not resourced to meet the demand associated with tourists. There is a Parliamentary inquiry into a new regional development fund which will get underway later this year. The National Sea Change Taskforce will be making a submission to this inquiry and putting the case for a funding model that takes these seasonal visitor impacts into account. I would encourage individual coastal councils and community groups to do likewise. |
Questions Posted by: Clairvoyant |
| Qn: With events like world youth day coming up where the population will swell by at least half a million, what are the biggest impact on the coast? What can we do as individuals to offset this? Ans: The potential impact of World Youth Day on Australia’s coastal areas demonstrates the need to develop better methods for measuring and responding to the impact of non-resident populations in the coastal zone. Current demographic data for the Australian coast is based on information from the census and from the annual Estimated Resident Population data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. This data does not reflect non-resident population peaks or the impact of part-time residents or other visitors. It is limited to an estimate of the number of usual residents within statistical and local government areas. It does not include people such as holidaymakers, workers in the area who live elsewhere and other temporary residents. This inevitably impacts on the capacity of coastal councils to finance the shortfalls in infrastructure and services through existing sources, such as grants, rates and developer contributions. There is a clear need to establish an accurate and consistent method of measuring the impact of tourists and other non-resident population groups in Australian coastal areas to enable planners and decision-makers to better match resources with demand associated with population growth. The absence of accurate data on holidaymakers and other visitors to coastal areas means that demand for infrastructure and services in these communities is consistently understated. Most coastal LGAs experience regular influxes of population during holiday periods which place heavy demand on local infrastructure and services. At Byron Bay, for example, the permanent population of about 6,000 expands to more than 20,000 during the peak of the summer holiday season. These visitors place substantial demand on water, sewerage, waste collection and other community services. While tourism injects revenue into the local commercial economy, and helps to generate employment opportunities (mainly part time), it does not contribute to the cost of public infrastructure to meet the needs of visitors, such as roads, water, sewerage treatment, collection of waste and recreation facilities. The burden of maintaining and expanding infrastructure capacity to meet this demand inevitably falls on local ratepayers. There is an inevitable impact of these visitors on the coastal environment, but in the absence of hard data it is impossible to assess the scale of these impacts or to deveop appropriate planning responses. |
Questions Posted by: Lee |
| Qn: Coastal development is a problem - are there some prime examples of coastal towns or particular developments that have managed to minimise envieonmental impact of increased development...or do we ultimately just have to all stop moving to/buying holiday homes on the coast? Ans: Different states have attempted different strategies to better manage growth in coastal areas. Victoria has a Coastal Spaces Plan which is worth looking at. You will be able to find a link through the Department of Sustainability and Environment web site. This plan attempts to limit the effects of growth by restricting developing to within existing settlement boundaries, preventing the gradual spread of urbanization beyond those boundaries. People in Victoria refer to this as the ‘string of pearls’ approach. Queensland takes a different, more integrated approach. In 205 the Beattie Government created the Office of Urban Management to coordinate a ‘whole of government’ approach to managing projected growth in the south east corner of the State – from Noosa to the NSW border. This was an innovative plan, because it featured an accompanying infrastructure plan which allocated more than $50 billion to meet the demand for infrastructure and services for the next 20 years. This has since been increased to more than $80 billion. The State Government is now developing similar strategies for other coastal areas further north. You will be able to find more information on this approach through the Queensland Department of Infrastructure and Planning web site. These are the two leading models of coastal planning and management at a state level, and illustrate the need for a more collaborative, national approach. The Rudd Government has committed to playing a national leadership role on coastal management. This is desperately needed to address the social, environmental and economic pressures that are currently being experienced in all states. |
Questions Posted by: Melissa |
| Qn: In what ways could the general public, coastcare groups etc be making a real positive impact, in your field of work/expertise? Ans: Just get involved in joining an environmental group if you're not already and contribute as much time as you are able. |
Qn: If you could change one thing tomorrow about the way our coastal systems and resources are currently managed, what would that be? Ans: If I could change one thing it would be to introduce a collaborative national approach to coastal planning and management. The Rudd Labor Government has indicated in its Caring For Our Coasts Plan that it will play a national leadership role in this respect. This is sorely needed. Up until now each of the States and Territories has adopted its own approach to coastal management with entirely different policies and strategies and in the absence of an overarching set of national planning principles. The forthcoming Parliamentary inquiry into climate change and environmental impacts of growth on coastal communities is an opportunity for everyone who is concerned about the future of our coasts to have a say. I understand from government sources that the inquiry findings will have a significant influence on future Australian Government coastal policy. Qn:What are your major environmental concerns for our coastal and marine environments in the short and long term? Ans: My major concern for the coastal environment is that the current lack of effective measures for planning and managing rapid growth and development in coastal areas will lead to long-term degradation of the coastal environment and the eventual loss of identity, character and lifestyle values of many coastal communities. |