Aspirations, capacity and stewardship

Scroll down to access the dashboards…. continue reading for an overview summary of Aspirations, Capacity and Stewardship within each stakeholder group…..

Residents

Residents had high aspirations around the Great Barrier Reef. Residents aspired to doing, “more to help protect the GBR” (84.5%). They also aspired to learning, “more about the condition of the GBR” (77.6%), and would, “like to do more to improve water quality in [their] waterways” (80.6%). However, residents suggested that their capacity to be a steward of the GBR was low to moderate, where, for example, only 44.3% felt that they, “have the necessary knowledge and skills to reduce any impact that [they] have on the GBR”, and 30.5% felt that they, “do not have the time or opportunity required to reduce any impact that [they] might have on the GBR”. Stewardship levels were relatively. For example, 83.7% of residents, “make every effort to use energy efficiently in [their] home and workplace”. Only 16.1% felt that, “it is not [their] responsibility to protect the GBR”.

Tourists

Tourists also had relatively high aspirations around the Great Barrier Reef. For example, nearly 82% of all tourists in the study aspired to doing, “more to help protect the GBR”. Capacity was variable. Some 62.7% of tourists felt that they, “can make a personal difference in improving the health of the GBR”, whilst only 29.9% felt that they, “have the necessary knowledge and skills”. Tourists were strong stewards where, for example, 82.5%, “make every effort to use energy efficiently in [their] home and workplace”, and 79.3% “re-use or recycle most goods and waste”. Some 19% of tourists felt that, “it is not [their] responsibility to protect the GBR”.

Tourism Operators

Tourism operators within the GBR aspired to doing, “more to help protect the GBR” (85.1%), and had high capacity to do so, where 85.1% suggested that they, “feel like [they] can contribute to GBR management”, and only 10.8% felt that they, “cannot make a personal difference in improving the health of the GBR”. Some 68% thought that climate change was an immediate threat requiring urgent attention”. Stewardship levels were also high where, for example, 91.1% of tourism operators, “make every effort to use energy efficiently in [their] home and workplace”. Only 1.1% felt that, “it is not [their] responsibility to protect the GBR”. Some 86.2% had fuel efficient engines and 52.1% participated in GBRMPAs Reef Guardian Fisher program.

Commercial Fishers

A moderate proportion of the commercial fishing industry aspired to doing, “more to help protect the GBR” (66.7%), or learning (65.9%). Capacity was also moderate, where, for example, 28.7% felt that they, “cannot make a personal difference in improving the health of the GBR”. However, over 88% felt that they had, “the necessary knowledge and skills to reduce any impact that [they] have on the GBR”. Some 67% were, “not worried about climate change impacts”, where 42.5% required further evidence that climate change was a threat. Some 91.2% of commercial fishers, “make every effort to use energy efficiently in [their] home and workplace”, but only 68.2%, “re-use or recycle most goods and waste”. Only 10.2% felt that, “it is not [their] responsibility to protect the GBR”. Some 80.2% of commercial fishers participate in industry best practices via a code of practice or MOU.

National Residents

Australians remain proud of the GBR and feel a sense of responsibility to protect it (85%), but they are less optimistic about its future (54%) than in 2013. There is also movement away from individual responsibility (38%) around the GBR (2013-2017) towards collective responsibility of the nation to protect the Reef. Results also suggest that GBR visitation has decreased since 2013, but the intent to visit has increased across the last 18 months, particularly among younger people.

 

Explore the data 

You can also explore the data yourself using our interactive dashboards below – use the filters provided to explore the results by participant type, age, gender, NRM, LGA and GBRMPA management areas. Click the arrow on the bottom right corner of the dasboard to view in Full Screen mode.  Also click the > arrow to move through the tabs on each dashboard.

Aspirations

Capacity and education

Threats

Stewardship