Wilson and Tisdell.,  2003:

"Tourism development can have positive and/or negative impacts on wildlife.  However, if wildlife tourism is developed in accordance with appropriate guidelines, such activity can be sustainable and can aid the conservation of species.  The article outlines the various economic and conservation benefits that can arise from wildlife-based tourism.  Some of the benefits are direct, such as tangible economic benefits; others are less tangible, such as increased visitors' willingness to pay in principle for the conservation of species.  Wildlife-based tourism could foster political support for the conservation of species utilised for such tourism by various mechanisms.  The case study shows that nonconsumptive uses of wildlife of sea turtles and whales at Mon Repos and Hervey Bay, respectively, are not only conditionally sustainable, but provide an economic alternative to consumptive use of these species.

Sea-turtle-watching-based tourism, although seasonal in nature, make significant contributions to local economies. Interestingly, 40 per cent (n=208) of respondents said that they would not have visited the Bundaberg region if not for the presence of sea turtles.

During the 1999/2000 sea turtle season, 23 500 visitors came to Mon Repos.  The total direct expenditure in the region from sea turtle viewing is approximately AUD$833 075.  As the average number of days spent by these visitors is 3.21 days, the amount of expenditure in the region for the sea turtle season was approximately AUD$2.68m for the 1999/2000 season.  If only the expenditures at Bundaberg are taken into account, the total tourist expenditure in the region associated with those who watched sea turtles at Mon Repos is about AUD$1.9m.

Considering the short seasons and the scarcity of the wildlife that is being viewed, the income generated from these wildlife-based tourism activities is significant.  In fact these activities (excluding other tourism activities), are among the most important in the region(s), especially Bundaberg, apart from other activities such as sugarcane farming, beef production, and dairy farming.

Wildlife-based tourism activities based on environmentally friendly guidelines also promote conservation values. First-hand encounters with sea turtle adults and hatchlings seem to create human empathy for them and make individuals more willing to support their protection (Tisdell & Wilson, 2002a).  Both surveys provide evidence to this effect.  The majority of respondents to the sea turtle survey (98 per cent) said they were convinced that more action should be taken to minimise threats to marine turtles.  A large majority of respondents (87 per cent) said that after their experience at Mon Repos that they would take more personal action to conserve sea turtles. After visitors' experience at Mon Repos, many respondents claimed that they were more likely to report the sighting of sick turtles (66 per cent), injured sea turtles (66 per cent), and poaching or mistreatment of sea turtles (88 per cent).

Visitors to Mon Repos for the 1999/2000 season would be prepared to pay at least AUD$250 000 per year to protect sea turtles in Australia.

This study showed that wildlife-based tourism relying on sea turtles provides significant local additions to income, and this generates potential support for such nature-based activities and conservation of the species concerned. Non-consumptive economic use can provide a viable economic alternative to consumptive uses of wildlife, and this could strengthen political support for the use of economic (and other regulatory) instruments to conserve species.  It does so by highlighting the opportunity costs of consumptive use of wildlife and its incidental destruction.  However, it must be noted that the sustainability of such ecotourism depends on the extent to which these species' populations are maintained.  If the populations decrease substantially, then visitor numbers would in all probability also decline, as demonstrated by Tisdell and Wilson (2002b)." 

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Citation and/or URL

Wilson, C & Tisdell, C (2003). Conservation and Economic Benefits of Wildlife-Based Marine Tourism:  Sea Turtles and Whales as Case Studies.  Human Dimensions of Wildlife 8: 49-58.

Spatial Coverage

Mon Repos, Queensland

Temporal Coverage

December 1999 to March 2000

Update Frequency

Not applicable 

Other Information

None