Journal of Sustainable Tourism
Editors: Bill Bramwell (Sheffield Hallam University) and Bernard Lane (Visiting Research Fellow, Sheffield Hallam University)
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Volume: 12 Number: 2 Page: 121–137
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Environmental Interpretation in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park: An Assessment of Programme Effectiveness
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Elizabeth M.P. Madin and D. Mark Fenton
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This study sought to determine how visitor environmental interpretation programmes in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park could be assessed to determine their effectiveness in educating visitors about the
reef environment and conservation issues. A self-administered visitor questionnaire was designed to identify changes in visitor knowledge and understanding of the reef's basic ecology, human impacts, health
and tourism. The study used an independent sample design in which visitors aboard a large reef-trip vessel were surveyed over one week before exposure to the operation's interpretive programme. A second
set of visitors was then surveyed following completion of the interpretive programme. The survey identified significant changes in visitors' self-reported knowledge of the reef environment as a result of
the trip. Additionally, visitors' self-reported knowledge and understanding of basic reef ecology and human impacts on the reef environment differed significantly in relation to the number of interpretive
activities in which they participated. These findings suggest that (1) reef-based visitor interpretation programmes can effectively change visitor understanding of key reef topics and issues, and (2) methods
of evaluating reef-based interpretive programmes can be undertaken through self-administered questionnaires.
Keywords: ENVIRONMENTAL INTERPRETATION, NATURE-BASED TOURISM, CORAL REEF, PERFORMANCE INDICATOR, MARINE PARK, GREAT BARRIER REEF
© Multilingual Matters 2004
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