Key finding

Increasing tourist numbers and associated vehicles and infrastructure impacts, while localised, can be intensive around iconic sites, specifically causing:

• some deterioration of World Heritage aesthetics (criterion vii)
• localised geological impacts (criterion viii)
• localised ecological and evolutionary impacts (criterion xi).

National Park management plans address visitor issues through infrastructure design and management to minimise impact to sensitive areas and World Heritage values.

Pollution and siltation to aquatic areas, particularly the perched lakes and streams, has been raised as impacting on World Heritage values (partially those associated with criterion ix and the evolution of vertebrates and invertebrates). Impacts would be constrained in scale and extent to the high use visitor sites. Water quality monitoring indicates no significant impacts.

This threat is considered low.

More information:

• Statement of Outstanding Universal Value
• World Heritage outlook

• Previous Invasive species and pathogens pressure on Fraser Island
• Next Climate change pressure on Fraser Island