7888ENV Environmental Protection and Quarantine – T1 2020

Hernindyasti Dwitya Hapsari (s5211900)

Master of Environment

ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNITY
VOLUNTEERING PORTFOLIO

Course Convenor: Dr Peter Davey

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION_________________________________________________3

Environmental Community Volunteering______________________________________3

Environmental Protection Issues____________________________________________3
Aim and Objectives______________________________________________________3

DIARY ACTIVITIES_______________________________________________4
DISCUSSION___________________________________________________9
CONCLUDING REMARKS________________________________________10

Conclusions___________________________________________________________10
Recommendations_____________________________________________________10

REFERENCES_________________________________________________11
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INTRODUCTION

Environmental Community Volunteering

Environmental protection needs varying parties to participate in developing sustainability.

Every layer of individuals holds a responsibility to safeguard their habitat instead utilize or
exploit the resources. Macro-scale actions involve laws and policies, research and
developments, funds, and education while micro-scale actions include lifestyle changing
and social engagements. Volunteering is an example of what a community could do to
make the world a better place to live. Even though the participants do not get paid, there
are intangible values that can help them to shape good characteristics through networking
and team working. Oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico caused by British Petroleum in 2010
showed the public that impacts of environmental disaster could be alleviated in a short
time when some caring people devote their time, energy, and money to clean up the
ocean. They did this because an awareness to save marine species and a long-term
estimation of the effects on human lives and surrounding habitats. The sense of belonging
encouraged them to take immediate action while waiting for the responsible stakeholders
to resolve the issue. News and social media seem able to inform the importance of
volunteering activities and gather greater interest from the public. Replanting trees,
mangrove restoration, and litter pick up are some examples of voluntary actions to protect
the environment. From 28 February – 1 March 2020, around 30 students volunteered in
removing invasive weeds and picking up beach litter in Moreton Island as a requirement of
8 hours volunteerism in the Environmental Protection and Quarantine (7888ENV) course.

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the

service of others.”

Mahatma Gandhi

Environmental Protection Issues

Department of Environment and Science (2020) recorded that more than 150.000 tourists
visit Moreton Island every year. I met more visitors on the MICAT ferries on Sunday when
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I left the island than on Friday when I headed to the island. This condition suggested that
tourists preferred to take a short escape on the weekends (Saturday and Sunday).
Invasive weeds removal was held on the first day at Cowan Cowan township near
Tangalooma airport and beach litter pick up was held on the second and third day, at the
northern part of the island and adjacent to Bulwer township respectively. Almost whole the
island is a national park and it is not limited for recreation which includes the park and the
beach. According to the Department of Environment and Science (2020), Moreton island
has experienced the least pollution and human perturbation amongst coastal ecosystems
in the Queensland to New South Wales coast. Prickly pear was the only invasive species
found in Cowan Cowan site with more juvenile (about a hundred) than adult ones (less
than 50), while asparagus fern was predominant in Bulwer site. The type of litter found on
the beaches was mostly plastic packaging of snacks and drinks on day two, the rest were
styrofoam, glass bottle, rubber slipper, fishing nets, and organic debris like dry coconut
and wood board. On day three, I found more glass bottles, cans, fishing nets, and organic
debris like wooden logs. In both last days, fishing light sticks, dangerous syringes and
needles, and microplastic like bottle caps were also found. Some eco rangers mentioned
that previously there was a feral infestation around 6-10 years ago when some residents
brought feral cats for domesticated purposes. Feral cats disrupted natural food chain and
landform processes; therefore, they were immediately diminished. That case almost
happened when a goat was introduced, but it can be avoided.

Aim and Objectives

This volunteerism activity aimed to protect the environment from natural and man-made
pollutants with a sustainable approach. No chemical substances were involved, only the
hand removal method was implemented. To meet this aim, the objectives are:
1. To remove invasive weed which could harm the growth of native species;
2. To pick up litters which decrease the beauty of the beach and could harm living
things from dangerous material and substances; and
3. To recognize environmental problems and understand the impacts.

Some mandatory tools for this activity are safety gloves, safety vests, shovel to remove
weeds, medium-sized buckets, sacks to store recyclable items and organic waste, and a
small box to separate dangerous items for instance syringe and needles.
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DIARY ACTIVITIES

Overview of Moreton Island

Moreton Island is located

within Moreton Bay Marine
Parks, on the northeast of
Moreton Bay. This island is
called Mulgumpin, an
aboriginal name that means
“place of sandhills” and
covers around 19.000
hectares area (Department of
Environment and Science,
2020). The length and the
width of Mulgumpin are nearly
40 km and 10 km respectively
which is 40 km distant from
central Brisbane (Department
of Environment and Science,
2020; Visit Moreton Island,
2019). There are three
townships namely Bulwer,
Figure 1. Map of Moreton Island National and Recreation Park Cowan Cowan, and
(Queensland Department of Environment and Science, 2020)
Kooringal. Almost whole the
island is a national park and it is not limited for recreation which includes the park and the
beach. According to the Department of Environment and Science (2020), Moreton island
has experienced the least pollution and human perturbation amongst coastal ecosystems
in the Queensland to New South Wales coast.
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Day 1: Prickly Pears Removal in the south of Cowan Cowan, near

Tangalooma airstrip

Figure . Prickly pear removal with hand

Figure . Location of prickly pears removal

(Google Earth Pro, 2020)
Line transect was implemented to find the
weeds in the area. Each student should be
in 1 meter distant towards the students on
the right and the left side. Then they
walked carefully to find prickly pears along
the imaginary straight line ahead, as far as
they could. There were two methods to
remove prickly pears, i.e. with hand
(covered with safety gloves) to remove
juvenile ones and with a shovel to remove
Figure . Prickly pear removal with a shovel
adult ones.

All prickly pears were stored in

buckets. It was counted that
there were 140 juvenile and 40
adult prickly pears.

Figure . Prickly pears stored to buckets

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Day 2: Beach Litter Clean Up on the northern part of Moreton Island

Figure . Location of litter pick up on day 2 Figure . Sacks for collecting litter

Figure . Separating litter according to the

material

Figure . Syringe and needles

Figure . Organic debris (dry coconut)

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Yellow sacks were used to store recyclable items like plastic, glass, and can, while white
sacks used to store organic debris. A small box (Figure. 10) was used to store dangerous
items for example syringe and needles. Microplastic and plastic bottles were mostly found
in the beach.

Day 3: Beach Litter Clean Up on the Bulwer township

Figure . Students and all collected litter

Figure . Location of litter pick up on day 3

(Google Earth Pro, 2020)

On day 3, it was a Clean Up Australia Day and I spent more hours to pick up litter. It was 2
hours longer than on the day 1 and the day 2. There are three groups of students spread
on different area. The lecturer and seniors drove around the beach and picked up the litter
collected by students. In total, there were fifteen sacks accumulated with the litter on day
2. Recyclable items were predominant waste on the beach. Plastic bottles were the
highest contributors, followed by glass bottles, cans, and fishing nets. Organic debris
found were wooden logs and wooden boards. There were also found fishing light sticks
and dangerous items on both last days.
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DISCUSSION

Prickly pear Beach litter

Prickly pear is native to America and Recyclable waste that mostly found on
enlisted in prohibited and restricted the beach indicates that it is caused by
invasive plants under Biosecurity Act tourism activities. As far as I observed,
2014 (Business Queensland, 2018). there were no waste bins along the area.
Business Queensland (2018), added that Probably, this is the reason why visitors
the widespread of this species could have throwed their waste to the beach. The
impacts on environmental, economic, and most unexpected items to be found were
social. It was noted that prickly pear dry coconut, fishing light sticks, and
infestation endangers other plants to syringe and needles. There were no
death and hinders pasture production coconut trees on the island, so the
which caused animals reluctant to graze. coconut might be brought up by the sea
current. The fishing light sticks were
implied from the fishing activities,
DPSIR analysis dumped by the fishermen. It is illegal due
to the dangerous material that can harm
Drivers: The growth of seeds excreted
marine species.
from birds or animals

Pressures: The widespread and

infestation of prickly pear DPSIR analysis

States: The prickly pear bigger proportion Drivers: The increasing number of
than native plants in the area tourists, illegal fishing activities, and
shipping traffics
Impacts: Little growth of native plants,
unhealthy vegetation Pressures: Litter and debris polluted the
beach
Responses: Community volunteering to
remove the weeds with eco-friendly States: The bigger number of litters,
approach to avoid damaging native more fauna ate microplastic, the ocean
species healthy level

Impacts: Loss of biodiversity, damage in

the ecosystem
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Responses: Periodical community trash bins provided, CCTV to monitor

volunteering to clean up the beach, more environment safeguard
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REFERENCES
Business Queensland (2018). Prickly pear. Retrieved from
https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industries/farms-fishing-forestry/agriculture/land-
management/health-pests-weeds-diseases/weeds-diseases/invasive-
plants/prohibited/prickly-pear
Department of Environment and Science (2020). Moreton Island National Park and
Recreation Area: Nature, culture and history. Retrieved from
https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/moreton-island/culture.html
Google Earth Pro (2020). Google Earth Pro (Version 7.3.3.7699 (64-bit)) [Computer
software]: Google Earth Pro.
Queensland Department of Environment and Science (2020). Moreton Island National
Park and Recreation Area map. Retrieved from
https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/moreton-island/pdf/moreton-isl-np-rec-area.pdf
Visit Moreton Island (2019). About Moreton Island. Retrieved from
http://www.visitmoretonisland.com/about