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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 36(4)

Testing the efficacy of a boundary fence at an important tropical seabird breeding colony and key tourist destination

Carol A. Devney A C and Bradley C. Congdon B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A AIMS@JCU, Australian Institute of Marine Science, School of Marine & Tropical Biology, James Cook University, PO Box 6811, Cairns, Qld 4870, Australia.

B School of Marine & Tropical Biology, James Cook University, PO Box 6811, Cairns, Qld 4870, Australia.

C Corresponding author. Email: carol.devney@jcu.edu.au

Wildlife Research 36(4) 353-360 https://doi.org/10.1071/WR08143
Submitted: 4 October 2008  Accepted: 6 February 2009   Published: 1 June 2009

Abstract

Tourists have the potential to detrimentally impact breeding seabirds, particularly at popular destinations such as on the Great Barrier Reef. Michaelmas Cay is a significant seabird rookery and prime tourist destination on the reef. In 1990, Queensland Parks & Wildlife Service erected a fence to separate tourists from fragile nesting habitat. We used two independent assessments during different breeding seasons to determine the potential impacts of tourism on two pelagic seabird species breeding on the cay. In the first quasi-experiment, egg losses by sooty terns (Sterna fuscata) and common noddies (Anous stolidus) were monitored at four distances (3, 6, 18 and 36 m) from a tourist enclosure. Our second quasi-experiment involved monitoring adult provisioning rates, chick growth and chick survival of sooty terns at two locations, one adjacent to the tourist fence and one 50 m away. At plots 3–6 m from the fence, we observed higher among-week variation in egg loss but no differences in total egg loss as compared with the more distant plots. The only difference observed between plots during our second quasi-experiment was that nest predation was higher at the tourist fence plot. Our research suggests that as long as the effects observed do not influence post-fledging survival or gull predation does not impact under different conditions, current management protocols are appropriately facilitating shared usage between wildlife and the tourism industry at Michaelmas Cay.


Acknowledgements

We sincerely thank M. Short (QPWS, Cairns), the crew and managers of Ocean Spirit cruises, and the QPWS Reef Heron crew. Volunteers D. Devney, A. Adkins and P. Yuda contributed to collection of chick-provisioning data. Essential funding was provided by QPWS, a James Cook University Graduate Research Support Scheme Grant, a Stuart Leslie Bird Research Award, a GBRMPA Science for Management Award, and an AIMS@JCU Ph.D. Scholarship. Work was authorised under QPWS Permit WITK02630504, Australian Bird and Band Banding Scheme Authority Nos 1386 and 2665 and JCU Ethics Approval A944_04.


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