Overview

Through my Coastal GIS in Coastal Management class that I took while studying at the University of Sydney, I had the opportunity to take a field trip to Manly beach in order to see the impact humans were having on the area. For me, this was a different field course than what I had experienced previously in other classes as it was more environmentally focused. Our objective was to identify as many potential enviornmental problems as we could and to try and find ways to mitigate the harm it was having on the area.

Learning Outcome

This field trip forced me to look at human settlement in a different way. Looking closer at the things so often ignored by many people, I realized there are many point source pollutants that are easily identifiable and fixable by the local government. From pipes that dump trash and microplastics into the ocean, to lack of infrasture to support the millions of toursists that visit this area every year. It also taught me to notice the small details that local government considered when designing the area. This included noticing where trashcans and playgrounds were placed, to seawalls and parking spaces in the area. I was able to analyze the human-environmental interaction and the ways that human settlement puts pressure on the local enviornment. I was able to synthesize this information and write a paper detailing what I saw and potential ways to better take care of Manly beach and the residents that live there.