World Heritage K’gari’s Environment at Risk of Being ‘Destroyed’ by Overtourism

 

The world’s largest sand island, K’gari off the coast of Queensland, is under environmental threat from overtourism warns the island’s World Heritage advisory committee, which wants to see a cap on visitor numbers.

K’gari’s World Heritage Advisory Committee (KWHAC) has advised the Queensland Government that overtourism is a major driver for environmental threats to the island, such as erosion, pollution, and biosecurity, which includes the introduction of weeds, pests, and diseases.

The sentiment is echoed by the Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation, whose secretary, Christine Ryan, says that overtourism is ‘destroying the island’. Both groups are calling on the government to implement a cap on visitors.

The Cost of Tourism

The Queensland Government’s Department of Environment, Tourism, Science, and Innovation estimated that 400,000 people visit K’gari annually, however, KWHAC disputes that the number could be much larger, with anywhere between 800,000 and 1 million visitors making the trip to K’gari every year. The government recorded 328,673 camper nights and vehicle permits in 2024, down from 2022 numbers, however, the department doesn’t include the number of tourists travelling with private operators or the number of people in a permitted vehicle.

A 2022 study assessing environmental impacts on K’gari recommended capping the number of tourists on the 20 busiest days of the year to reduce overcrowding, a recommendation endorsed by the previous Queensland Labor Government. However, Queensland’s current Environment Minister, Andrew Powell, said his government has ‘no intention‘ of imposing any caps on visitation numbers.

‘Based around how many people can book into the camping sites … [that] already is, I guess, in one way, a cap and we have no intention of going beyond that’, he said.

Wongari/Dingoes Also Threatened

Another threat to K’gari is wongari/dingo habituation, which rangers attribute to taking selfies with the animals and feeding them, causing them to not fear humans and increasing the likelihood of a negative interaction.

The wongari on K’gari are genetically pure and are considered sacred by the Butchulla Traditional Owners. Of particular concern is high visitation at popular sites such as Boorangoora/Lake McKenzie and Eli Creek, where tourists continue to eat and picnic at these sites despite advice from rangers and QLD National Parks.

Dingo lying on the beach, K’gari, QLD | Photo by Kellie Floyd

After ongoing attacks by dingoes on children and other tourists, KWHAC committee chair, Sue Sargent said overtourism directly increased the risk of attack, with more dingoes becoming habituated to humans.

With the increasing threats to cultural heritage and native wildlife, Anthony Gough, the acting director of the Queensland Conservation Council, stated, ‘Spreading out visitor numbers across the year is a no-brainer’, and stated that managing visitation numbers will help mitigate these threats and provide tourists with a premium experience on the island.

K’gari is World Heritage-listed for its exceptional natural beauty, significant ongoing geological processes, and significant ongoing biological processes.

Feature photo by Vincent Lee on Flickr | Licence