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The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park was established to provide for conservation and ecologically sustainable multiple use of 344,400 km of a large marine ecosystem. Management is based on multiple use, with zoning as a fundamental component of marine spatial planning. The legislative framework, including a specific Act and Regulations, address the objectives of ecosystem-based, integrated management of human uses and impacts consistent with best contemporary understanding of biological diversity. Zoning is one of a suite of management tools that include other spatial and temporal management tools and non-spatial measures including public education, community engagement, codes of environmental best practice, industry partnerships and economic instruments. The first section of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park came into operation in 1981 and the most recent zoning came into operation in mid 2004. The paper discusses some common misunderstandings about zoning and identifies lessons that appear relevant for others addressing management and use of marine ecosystems and natural resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from a survey of more than 1000 domestic visitors to the Northern section of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) - predominantly those travelling on live-aboard dive boats - this research investigates the (tax) efficiency of the Environmental Management Charge (EMC). The travel cost method (with a zero truncated negative binomial specification) is used to estimate the price elasticity of demand, and those estimates are used to estimate the deadweight losses, the losses in visitor numbers that could be 'blamed' on the EMC and the associated taxation revenues for different types of trips. The welfare loss for each dollar of revenue raised from the EMC was estimated at less than one per cent for each type of trip considered. The analysis therefore suggests that, for these types of trips in this part of the reef at least, the EMC is a very efficient tax - particularly when compared with other taxes. This has important implications beyond the GBR, particularly in countries who struggle to find sufficient funds to properly manage world heritage areas: taxes such as these may be a relatively efficient and equitable means of collecting such revenues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which examines the relationship of recreational fishing in the conservation of elasmobranch, such as sharks and rays, in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in Queensland. The target population of study are the recreational fishers in Townsville region of North Queensland ages 15 years or above who were asked to provide data about their fishing trips. It shows that catching elasmobranch is less valued by recreational fishers because of its lower consumption quality.

Using data collected from in-depth interviews of recreational visitors to Australia's Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, place-related meanings ascribed to a marine environment are described. The usefulness of using symbolic interactionism to understand the creation of these meanings is also assessed. Ten meaning-themes emerged (aesthetic beauty, lack of built infrastructure/pristine environment, abundance and diversity of coral and other wildlife, unique natural resource, facilitation of desired recreation activity, safety and accessibility, curiosity and exploration, sense of connection to the natural world, escape from the everyday, and experiences with family and friends), and evidence supporting the utility of symbolic interactionism was identified. Using these findings, researchers may be better able to identify place meanings and the processes that create them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]