Effects of adjacent land tenure on visitor use of Ningaloo Marine Park, Western Australia

Abstract

Although many marine parks are located adjacent to coastlines with a variety of tenures, the influence of this tenure on visitor use is poorly known. Ningaloo Marine Park in Western Australia adjoins the coast along its entire 300 kilometre length and is accessed via several land tenure types that encapsulate a suite of attributes (i.e. services, facilities and management controls). The effect of tenure on visitor and visit characteristics, and recreational activities, was investigated using 1208 visitor surveys. Visitor origin and length of stay varied significantly among tenures, while repeat visitation and site fidelity were high, especially on pastoral leases. Although a wide range of recreational activities occurred in the marine park adjacent to all tenures, the percentage of respondents involved in activities such as fishing, sailing sports and snorkelling varied among tenures. These results highlight the influence of a mix of tenures, and accompanying attributes, on visitor use of an adjacent marine park. Although this provides a challenge for managers of marine parks with an extensive coastal interface in achieving the dual objectives of conservation and recreation, it also contributes to a diversity of visitor experiences.