Mapoon Educational Signage SRP
Source Reduction Plan (SRP) Overview
Name of SRP
Mapoon Educational Signage SRP
Partners Delivering the SRP
- Tangaroa Blue Foundation – created, delivered and lead the SRP
- Mapoon Land and Sea Rangers
- Apudthama Rangers
- Mapoon Aboriginal Council
- NPARC (Northern Peninsula Area Regional Council)
Location
- Mapoon Back Beach, Cullen Pt Rd, Mapoon QLD 4874
Photo 1
Evidence of the issue
Photo 2
Evidence of SRP resources
Photo 3
Evidence of positive outcomes
Overall Goals & Background
Targeted Debris
Marine Debris
Why is the SRP needed?
Spreading awareness is an essential part in the battle against marine debris. The Tangaroa Blue Foundation identified Mapoon in Far North Queensland as a marine debris hotspot that is highly impacted by marine debris washing in from both international and domestic sources, but very little from the local area.
Educational signage can be a great way to pass on knowledge, especially in areas where there is a lack of information. The language, style and size of an interpretive sign is important to consider, it needs to be easily understood, engaging and informative.
Overall Goals
The primary objective of this SRP is to educate through the use of signs to explain how much debris is removed from this beach every year, how much effort is put into the removal and how visitors can do their part to help.
This long standing SRP is informative and encouraging to promote positive behavioural changes by advising visitors to dispose of their rubbish at the nearest tip and what can be recycled at the ranger station.
Rangers are also equipped with clean-up bags enabling people to carry out their own beach clean-ups during their stay.
Participants are asked to inform the rangers of the weight collected and to return the bags; they can also input their data directly into the TBF’s Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI) online database.
Logistics
Timeline and Project Goals
2 Years – Annual clean-up for baseline, consultation with Traditional Custodians, design of signage and clean-up the following year for comparison
1 Day – Installation
Measuring Success
Educational signage serves as an excellent way to impart knowledge, particularly in areas with limited information. It is crucial to carefully consider the language, style and size of the interpretive signs, ensuring they are easily comprehensible, captivating and informative.
Assets – 2 signs were designed and strategically placed at the campgrounds.
This SRP is not only educational and informative, but also to encourage visitors to actively participate in their own clean-ups, by providing readily accessible clean-up bags that often initiates essential conversations about marine debris and the removal. This imparts both rangers and visitors with knowledge about the Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI) database.
Data Collection & Reporting
It is recommended that visitors collect marine debris using the clean-up bags provided by the Rangers, or can use their own. To then advise the rangers of the weight of rubbish collected and brief description of items so that this can be entered into the AMDI database by the Rangers or by the visitors themselves.
Results and Reflections
Positive Outcomes
Media:
1 Website article –
https://www.tangaroablue.org/educational-signge/mapoon-educational-sign/
By facilitating data collection, training and access to the AMDI database, everyone involved can make valuable contributions to addressing and understanding marine pollution.
Funding
Design of artwork, production of signs and installation – around $2,000
Community clean-ups – $5,000 x 2.
Challenges & Improvements
The Mapoon Land and Sea Rangers and Mapoon Aboriginal Shire Council suggested that we install signs after seeing the signs we had installed at Chili Beach, Lockhart River. Proper consultation was conducted in regards to the text, images and language with the community. Our only concerns was about damage to the signs by visitors. Today the signs are still in place and in very good condition.
Future Opportunities
Both Mapoon Educational Signs remain at the location and alongside regular beach clean-ups organised by TBF.
