Balancing biodiversity with land clearing

Siepen and McAlpine discuss ways for farmers to protect the natural resources of more than 90% of Australia. They propose that, before clearing trees for farmland development, farmers weigh up the significance of any vegetation to the native fauna as well as its value for catchment management and salinity control.

Contrasting models of land use regulation: Community, government and tourism development

This paper assesses the capacity of local communities and sub-national governments to influence patterns of tourism development, within the context of a globalizing economy. Through a comparison of the contrasting examples of Hawaii and Queensland, the paper indicates the consequences of different approaches to land use regulation. It points to the importance of planning and policy processes that integrate community interests, in order to achieve long-term, sustainable tourism development. Effective regulation of development can minimize the social and environmental impacts of tourism. The paper illustrates how community organizations and sub-national governments can articulate local interests, despite the global demands of investors for more deregulated markets in land.