Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2019L00153:body:0:p16
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2019L00153
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 43334–46378

(such as detergents) that break down the protective waxy cuticle on leaves may threaten Littoral Rainforest species, such as coast banksias (Banksia integrifolia) and hoop pines (Araucaria cunninghamii), by allowing salt to penetrate and damage the plant (Morris 2003).

2.2.2      Tourism and visitor disturbance
Tourism and visitor disturbance within Littoral Rainforest pose an ongoing threat. According to the Bureau of Tourism Research (DISR 2001), 50 percent of international visits and 42 percent of domestic visits are to coastal areas. Due to the ongoing demand for tourism and recreational facilities to cater for users of coastal and marine ecosystems (Ward & Butler 2006), this trend is likely to increase over time. Such pressure is likely to result in more development on coastal land and a rise in visitor numbers in conservation areas where Littoral Rainforest occurs (TSSC 2008).
Visitor disturbance in conservation areas includes soil compaction and disturbance, erosion from foot, cycle, trail bike and four wheel drive tracks, the introduction of pests and the creation of new planned and unplanned tracks. Increased visitation results in increased demand for and use of visitor facilities, such as walking tracks, viewing platforms, toilet blocks and picnic areas, many of which are located in Littoral Rainforest patches because of their attractive landscape features (shade, open understorey and proximity to the sea). These impacts hinder the recruitment of key canopy species, slowing regeneration rates and facilitating establishment of weeds. Other impacts include the dumping of cars; rubbish; and garden waste, which has the potential to cause weed infestation (NSW Scientific Committee 2004). For example, in the Central Mackay Coast Bioregion, the ecological community receives high use by recreational vehicles and foot traffic where it occurs close to urban areas. At Corringle Slips and near Orbost, Wingan Inlet and Mallacoota in Victoria recreational development, such as campgrounds, is the most common and ongoing key threat to Littoral Rainforest (Peel 2010).

Figure 3: Beach access track through a Littoral Rainforest patch in the Cape York Peninsula bioregion of Queensland (© Andrew Ford).

2.2.3      Climate change
Another significant threat is climate change, which has the capacity to augment the detrimental effects of natural disturbances and other threats, including fire and invasive weeds. As a result of climate change, the following changes are likely to impact Littoral Rainforest: rising sea levels; increased rainfall variability; and increased frequency of severe weather events which are projected to lead to major coastal erosion events, storm surges and saline inundation (DSE 2004b; Lavorel et al., 2016). In north-east Queensland climate change scenarios are predicted to result in increased temperature and increased potential evaporation, possible overall deceases in rainfall but increases in rainfall intensities, and changes in the frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones