EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES OPENING UP IN THE EDUTOURISM WORLD
Our region ’ s reefs , tropical islands , rainforests , national parks , wetlands and outback attract thousands of tourists every year – many of whom are looking for more than a lazy few weeks on the beach . This year we partnered with Townsville Enterprise and local tourism providers to get involved with the growing ‘ edutourism ’ market .
Edutourism offers visitors a chance to enjoy the wonders of nature while learning about local environments , culture and history . It also opens up a potential new source of revenue for NQ Dry Tropics , while at the same time supporting regional tourism and promoting our achievements .
Earlier this year , we partnered with Bungalow Bay Koala Village on Magnetic Island to deliver a lecture and nature walk for 30 visiting students from the Texas A & M University . Our Biodiversity Project Officer JJ Walker played the role of tour guide , speaking about marine and terrestrial ecosystems , and efforts to conserve them .
NRM Implementation Manager Peter Gibson said the potential existed for NQ Dry Tropics to involve visitors with volunteering on some of our projects , such as protecting beach scrub .
Texas A & M University students on Magnetic Island
“ The next step would be to partner with other tourism operators to take visitors further afield in our region . Visiting a grazing property to help build a stick dam would be one way we could build capacity and give them a hands-on experience ,” he said .
“ Ultimately , if it is successful , we could offer , say a two-day package in partnership with regional accommodation and transport providers . “ We could take a group to a Bowen , or Collinsville property , visiting wetland , cane and grazing projects on the way . We would allow time for recreation – perhaps , some fishing – and maybe a beach barbecue at sunset ," he said .
If you are interested in partnering with NQ Dry Tropics on an edutourism initiative , please contact Peter Gibson on 4799 3500 .
EXPLORING MARKET-BASED SYSTEMS
NQ Dry Tropics operates in an ever-changing funding landscape . New and exciting opportunities for sourcing investment continue to present themselves , and organisations such as ours need to not only adapt and embrace change , but also develop and drive new opportunities .
To stay ahead of the game , we have been working in partnership with Terrain NRM and environmental markets investor , GreenCollar , to develop the Reef Credit scheme .
This market-based initiative aims to open up new opportunities to improve the quality of water flowing to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon , while providing a financial return to farmers and graziers .
It isn ’ t easy getting a groundbreaking initiative such as this off the ground . It has taken nearly two years from concept to a nearly operational system ; a consultation process that included 40 briefings to industry , government and other stakeholders , and design input from dozens of experts from around Australia and overseas .
In addition to co-developing the Reef Credits scheme , we are also looking at carbon markets and how these might be incorporated into our work . CEO Scott Crawford believes that payment for ecosystem services , such as water quality improvement and carbon sequestration , could become a more significant part of farming enterprises into the future . “ A key challenge that we ’ re focused on , is looking at how we integrate these market opportunities into whole of business planning and management ,'' he said .
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