It was an enjoyable walk. The switch from rainforest to eucalyptus scrub was a nice change. Mostly I was content to not have to constantly check myself over for land leeches, which are a common parasite at CRS. It was also beneficial for discussion of projects. I would agree with Christine that it is easier to think over ideas while partaking in a light amount of exercise and looking out to the scenery than to just discuss around a table. I found the afternoon most helpful, though I daresay my topic continued to lack stability until a few days later.
My
ultimate decision was between aboriginals and tree-kangaroos. I wanted to learn
about aboriginal involvement in the ecotourism industry and how they
represented their culture within it, but I was also very much interested in why
Tree-Kangaroos were not more widely recognized and appreciated as species in
need of conservation. I tried combining the two topics in the best way I could,
but found that it would still be too broad so I had to settle on the latter.
My
project was conducted in two parts: interviews and surveys. As part of the
first part I interviewed five different people in the ecotourism industry. The
most notable person I interviewed happened to be a tour guide who stuck his
nose into situations that people would have preferred he left alone. One of
these happened to be an illegal clearing of Mabi Forest, which is an endangered
forest patch and important habitat for Tree-Kangaroos. Being the environmental
activist that he was when he stumbled upon the deforestation, he took pictures
of the destruction and showed them to the Department of Environment and
Resource Management (DERM). Despite the clear evidence that this protected
patch of Mabi Forest was being cleared, DERM responded not by prosecuting the
landowners of the neighboring village who had committed the crime, but by
rezoning the land so that the Mabi Forest patch no longer existed on a
protected area. This interview alone made me realize the importance of getting
people aware of both the existence of Tree-Kangaroos and the need to preserve
their habitat.
The
surveys I set up were designed to assess people's general knowledge of
Tree-Kangaroos, compare their interest in seeing them in relation to other
species and determine their willingness to pay for an organization that
benefits them. A large chunk of my time at our third Cairns weekend was spent flagging
down shoppers and passersby at the Cairns Central Mall and Night Markets to
fill out my questionnaire. In total I ended up with 75 surveys when my original
goal had been to get several hundred. No matter, I had still had enough data to
extrapolate some interesting patterns.
What I
found was that on average people were more interested in seeing Tree-Kangaroos
than any of the other species I had listed (Koala, Platypus, Kangaroo,
Cassowary, Wombat, Wallaby, Kookaburra). Another finding of significance was
that when people were given a factsheet that presented Tree-Kangaroos as a rare
species threatened from deforestation, people were more willing to donate money
on their behalf than people who were given a factsheet that presented
Tree-Kangaroos as a common species or given no factsheet at all. Thus
Tree-Kangaroos are not only a popular species to view, but could achieve a
similar status as an iconic species for rainforest restoration as the
Cassowary, especially if their uniqueness to Australia's upland rainforests and
vulnerability to deforestation is emphasized.