Canada and Australia - Comparing Environmental Policies in 16 Countries - page 158

the Namoi Water Users' Association, and later the graziers organized the
Lower Namoi Riparian Occupiers Association. 19
Water quality is largely under the jurisdiction of the states. This is appro-
priate since, with the exception of the Murray-Darling system, most rivers
are short and within a single state. The six states are supposed to be guided
by the National Water Quality Management Strategy issued in 1992. The
standards were developed jointly with New Zealand. Salt deposition and
algae blooms are the major problems. 20
Tourism is a major industry, with more than three million overseas
visitors each year. Although its impact on fragile eco-systems can be great,
it does not always occupy an important place in the political debates. For
example, little was said about tourism in establishing the Great Barrier Reef
or the Kakadu Parks. While it is often touted as not injuring the natural set-
ting like mining or timbering does, in fact it can cause damage. Visitors stay
in hotels built on sensitive land, consume 10 times as much water for their
showers and swimming pools as local people, and arrive in jet airplanes that
pollute the air. The industry is cyclical, depending on the economic prosper-
ity of Japan, Europe, and North American. Conversely, extractive industries
like mining and timbering can ruin the tourist potential of a place. Marine
sanctuaries are not compatible with offshore fisheries. Most Aborigines
do not like tourists because they intrude on their lives. Mining is less of a
problem, providing the mineral reserves are not proscribed. Roads built for
timber cutting may allow access to visitors, or may destroy a virgin forest. 21
The Ecotourism Association of Australia was established in 1991 as a
peak association, with members from travel agencies, hotels, and govern-
ment agencies. It offers Eco Certification for companies, resorts, and sites,
a program it claims is the first in the world. The association defines nature
tourism as ecologically sustainable tourism with a primary focus on natu-
ral areas. The organization intends to foster environmental, cultural, and
social understanding, appreciation, and conservation. The association
also certifies individuals as Eco Guides.
CONCLUSION
Canadians and Australians participate directly and by voting. The 1969
poisoning of fish at Placentia Bay and the oil spill from the tanker Arrow on
Cerberus Rock in Chedabucto Bay outraged tens of thousands of Canadians.