The Gold Coast Transformed

The cover image features an aerial photograph of the beach and high-rises of the Gold Coast at the bottom of the cover with three photographs showing

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From Wilderness to Urban Ecosystem

Edited by: Tor Hundloe, Bridgette McDougall, Craig Page

eBook - March 2015 - eRetailers

Looks at the impacts of environmentally destructive development on the Gold Coast's natural environment.

The Gold Coast is one of Australia's premier tourism destinations, a modern city cut out of coastal vegetation, including paperbark swamps, mangroves and rainforests of both Indigenous and worldwide significance. The Gold Coast Transformed is a collection of integrated chapters identifying and assessing the environmental impacts of the building of Australia's sixth largest city. From the time of the first European timber getters through to the present, the book traces the impacts of rapid development on the now World Heritage-listed rainforest and surrounding ecosystems. + Full description

The city's natural and engineered environments are both fascinating and vulnerable. The construction of massive high-rise apartment blocks, on what were frontal beach dunes, is one of the fundamental mistakes not to be repeated. The book illustrates how and why major environmentally destructive development took place and discusses the impacts of such development on the Gold Coast's beaches, wildlife, and terrestrial and marine environments, such as the destruction of riparian mangrove forest.

The Gold Coast Transformed also shows the possibility of sustaining natural populations and reducing the city's ecological footprint. It will be of interest to ecologists, environmental scientists and managers, town planners, economists, policymakers and the general public.

- Short description

News

This title is no longer available in print, but can still be purchased as an eBook.

Note: On page 79, '8 million cubic metres' has been incorrectly written as '8 million cubic miles'. On pages xiii, 126 and 201, 'Fleay-Thomson' has been incorrectly written as 'Fleay-Thompson'.

Reviews

"If you live on the Gold Coast, or are simply fascinated by its contradictions, I am sure you would enjoy reading this book"
Deborah Metters, Land for Wildlife South East Queensland, April 2015

Details

ePDF | March 2015
ISBN: 9781486303304
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Available from eRetailers

ePUB | March 2015
ISBN: 9781486303311
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Available from eRetailers

About the editors
List of contributors
Acknowledgements

Introduction: The Structure of the Book
The Gold Coast: A Snapshot
The Gold Coast Before Cook Named Mount Warning
A Brief History of Discovery, Settlement and Development
The Impact on the Gold Coast’s Terrestrial Environments
The Beaches
Marine Environments of the Gold Coast: Out with the Old, in with the New
Wildlife of the Gold Coast Wetlands
Rainbow Lorikeets, Possums and Pythons: The Wildlife of the Gold Coast
'Getting up close and personal': Wildlife of the Theme Parks of the Gold Coast
The Legacy of a Pioneering Gold Coast Conservationist
The Pink Poodle, Swimming Pavilions and Miami Ice
Reducing the Ecological Footprint: The Prospect for Green Energy
The Gold Coast Business Sector Meeting the Environmental Challenge
Planning for the Gold Coast: Past, Present and Future
State of the Environment
In Conclusion, Something to Chew On: Native Plant Foods of the Gold Coast

Index

View the full table of contents (PDF).

Authors

Editors: Tor Hundloe is Professor of Environmental Science and Management, Bond University. He is Emeritus Professor of Environmental Management, the University of Queensland and Adjunct Professor, the Environment School, Griffith University. Bridgette McDougall is a graduate from Bond University and is a Tutor in the field of sustainability science while she pursues a higher degree in environmental education. Her key focus is on education for conservation, particularly as delivered by ‘hands on’ experience in field settings, such as David Fleay’s Wildlife Park on the Gold Coast. Craig Page is an Adjunct Tutor and research scholar attached to the Faculty of Society and Design, Bond University. He spends considerable time in South-East Asia, particularly Vietnam, assisting in the promotion and development of sustainability projects.

Contributors: Lynne Armitage, Bhishna Bajracharya, Shelley Burgin, Simon Grigalius, Isara Khanjanasthiti, Daryl McPhee, Daniel O’Hare, Sophie Telfor, Linda Too and Madelaine Waters.