Field Research: The Core of SFS

The end of mid-semester break marked the beginning of our month-long directed research project. We were divided amongst the three professors: Siggy (in charge of Tree-Kangaroo research), Justus  (in charge of social science research) and Amanda (who would take Rohan's place and was in charge of CSIRO research). Though my first choice was to conduct field research of Tree-Kangaroos, I ended up with the social science group, which turned out to be a good fit.

We returned to Mission Beach, this time in the interest of learning about ecotourism. Once we arrived there we settled into our hostel, this one being much closer to the beach than the one we stayed at over break, which was convenient since we were given free time as soon as we unpacked. We took advantage immediately were let loose, being as our scheduled meetings weren't until the following morning. Thus naturally we spent time at the beach, swimming, practicing boomerang-throwing and enjoying the sunset. We enjoyed a meal at a restaurant in the town center and then Sam and I indulged in a chess battle using the giant chess set right outside.

The following morning we ventured to C4 (which is an abbreviation for the Community for Coastal and Cassowary Conservation). Justus had organized several meetings with people knowledgeable about ecotourism at Mission Beach. Mission Beach has the highest density of Cassowaries in Australia, but unfortunately due to the high number of tourists and vehicles, it also has the highest rate of Cassowary mortality. It is for this reason that C4 pushed for lowering the speed limit from 80 km/hr to 60 km/hr and as part of their latest campaign are working to buy back lot 66 in order to restore Garrett's Corridor. We were given the chance to explore C4, which had a large assortment of products to benefit Cassowaries as well as a nursery to supply rainforest regeneration projects.

After C4 we headed back to Yungaburra and the following day were introduced to an American-born Australian by the name of Christine. It seemed that she knew practically everyone in the Atherton Tablelands, which made her a most valuable asset to getting us set up with our projects. When we arrived at her house she immediately invited us to sit on her porch while she retrieved tea and tim tams and various fruits from inside her house. We sat and discussed our project ideas for a few minutes before she suggested that we walk and talk. So we set off, accompanied by her dog "Shrek" for the Herberton Range State Forest just across the street from her house.

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.