Whale shark tourism at Ningaloo Reef : successes, challenges and what's next?

Rarely does one look at the news without seeing a story about a natural resource under threat, from destruction of the Amazon to coral bleaching at the Great Barrier Reef to the impact of climate change in the Arctic. Some of these natural locations are tourist destinations, alongside other, sometimes competing industries and face challenges to their continued attractiveness and overall sustainability. We will use Ningaloo Reef and their whale shark tourism industry as an illustrative example to explore issues of sustainable resource management. Ningaloo Reef is Australia's largest fringing coral reef, skirting for 300 kilometres alongside the west coast. The region is a striking colour palate of turquoise Indian Ocean, hemmed by white sand, edged by the vast red desert. The reef may be visited from two towns, Exmouth and Coral Bay, which are located over 1,200 kilometres north of the state's capital city, Perth (Figure 9.1). In the past, the reef's key defence from being "loved to death" was its low profile and isolation. This is changing as the region has received global recognition and accessibility has improved.