In 1850 45-hectare Lady Elliot Island, a coral cay 80 kilometres off the coast of Bundaberg, was covered with vegetation, hundreds of thousands of sea birds and 2 metres of guano. By 1870 guano miners had stripped the island of it vegitation and hauled away 20,000 tons of guano. The mining left the island a wasteland for the next century until aviator Don Adams made a deal with the Australian government for a recreation lease under which he started to restore the island. Today 70% of the isla…