Case Study: North Stradbroke Island

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INTRODUCTION North Stradbroke Island (NSI), also known as Minjerribah, is a home to many, approximately 2,102 people around the island (Redland City Council, 2016) and the Quandamooka people have thousands of years of a connection with the sea, land, and country (Stradbroke Island, 2018). The Island’s main source of economic growth comes from sand mining. The largest sand mining company on NSI is Sibelco, they have been running the operation since 1950 (Stradbroke Island, 2018). As of 2019, Sibelco will be closing down their sand mining operations, so the island can focus more on tourism and economic needs. Throughout this analytical... Basic Information about Sibelco and Sand Mining Today, Sibelco is a truly multinational business, operating …show more content…

The Government and mining industry is designed to make the public believe that the area that has been destroyed can be regenerated or rehabilitated back to its former state. Although this can be done and trees and other plants are able to grow, the natural ecosystems can not be regrown (Savestraddie.com, 2018). Excessive instream sand-and-gravel mining causes the degradation of rivers. Depletion of sand in the streambed and along coastal areas causes the deepening of rivers and estuaries, and the enlargement of river mouths and coastal inlets. It may also lead to saline-water intrusion from the nearby sea (Environmental Information System, 2013). In addition, although Sibelco states they try to re-establish the original ecosystem, that occupied the island before they begun mining in the area, the ecosystem and plantation will never be the same as it was. With the stopping of sand mining, there will be no further depletion of the vegetation and the ecosystem will be able to grow safely and restore the natural ecosystem, and places that have not been demolished yet, will be safe from destruction from 2019 and onwards. At …show more content…

North Stradbroke Island will be receiving an $11 million increase in their budget to switch their focus on tourism and other things for the island, such as a whale interpretive facility at Point Lookout, expanding the capacity of the island's existing 14-bed aged care facility, bushfire management plans, $1 million for urgent infrastructure works at One Mile and $4.35 million for national park management (Caldwell, 2018). NSI also has many water-based activities all over the Island, so tourist’s can have a chance to take in all the wonderful sites and native animals that are present on the Island. Some activities that allow this to happen are diving and snorkeling, surfing, whale watching, paddling, and swimming freshwater lakes, and they also allow tourist’s to camp out on the beach (NewsComAu, 2018). Having many Quandamooka people on the island, they are always glad to talk to tourist’s and tell them about their ancestry and teach them about their culture and how respect is very important for their island home (Stradbroke Island,

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