Human impacts on Australia's Indian Ocean tropical island ecosystems: A review

Summary The human impact on two tropical island groups in the eastern Indian Ocean — Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands — is described. Both are external territories of the Commonwealth of Australia. The ecological influences of construction, war, coconut plantations, horticulture, mining, the introduction of organisms and tourism are discussed in relation to the islands' geomorphology, hydrology, vegetation, fauna and marine environments.Although there are significant differences in the environment between Christmas Island and Cocos, there are marked parallels in their ecological history. Despite these islands being extremely remote, economic, political and technological changes in the outside world have had substantial effects.There are signs that conservation values in land and resource management on these islands are now being addressed. However, these islands, in common with coral islands and atolls elsewhere, may be on the threshold of a tourism boom, with significant implications for the islands' hydrology as well as their animal and plant communities.Dr Patrick H. Armstrong is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Geography at the University of Western Australia. An early version of this paper was given to the ASEAN Geography Conference, in Brunei, in June 1990.