Social and economic impactsSocial and economic impacts

Social and economic impacts

The actions in this plan may have positive and negative social and economic impacts.

Positive social impacts will arise from community education actions that will increase Christmas Islanders knowledge and interest in their own environment. The rainforest rehabilitation program provides on-island jobs, as could the hawk-owl monitoring program. Christmas Island endemic birds attract specialist bird watching groups each year that is high value, low-impact tourism.

Negative social and economic impacts arising from implementation of the plan could include greater restrictions due to review of the quarantine barrier. The EPBC Act already provides a regulatory framework for the protection of rainforest on Christmas Island, and one element of this is assessing potential impacts of proposed developments on the listed threatened species. These provisions have the potential to impact on economic activity, for example by adding additional obligations for industry and other development on the island in order to minimise impacts on listed species. This arises from the listing of the species under the EPBC Act invoking a range of protective provisions and offences where a population is to be affected. The magnitude of this potential impact is unknown, as it will vary with the location, size and extent of the activity, proposed or current. However, the plan will aid in determining what could be significant impacts on the Christmas Island Hawk-owl (through defining habitat critical to survival and developing a management plan outside the national park).