Parks Australia has gone public with its marine park management, urging those who would like to have a say on the future of the country’s marine parks to provide feedback.
Australia is home to 44 separate marine parks, with 18 along the West Australian coast.
The parks are managed with the aim of protecting various species of flora and fauna under threat, such as the loggerhead turtle, the Amsterdam and Tristan albatrosses, and various species of sea snake.
The Director of National Parks Sally Barnes has released five draft plans to manage the 44 Australian Marine Parks over the next 10 years.
She said public opinion is imperative to ensuring the program is encompassing on a national level.
“Our marine parks protect important marine habitats and species,” Ms Barnes said.
“They also support people’s livelihoods and the Australian lifestyle. They provide places for people to watch wildlife, dive and snorkel, go boating, and fish. They create jobs in industries like fishing and tourism, and are a source of food and energy.”
Ms Barnes said Australian Marine Parks recognised oceans as a shared resource; protecting the environment and supporting the sustainability of the fishing industry and the communities whose livelihoods rely on it worked hand in hand.
“I’d encourage everyone to take a look at these five plans my team at Parks Australia have put together,” she said.
“This is your chance to influence how we’ll manage a large area of our marine environment over the next 10 years. We want to hear from you, all of you. It’s your passion that will make marine parks work for everyone.”
Australian Marine Parks (also known as Commonwealth marine reserves) were established in 2012 to protect our oceans. This was a significant contribution to Australia’s marine parks which now cover more than 3.3 million square kilometres of ocean – that’s an area the size of India.
“Before creating these plans, my team and I met with many of you from across our country,” Ms Barnes said.
“We listened to many people, fishers, conservationists, tourism operators, traditional owners and coastal communities before writing these plans.
“These draft plans balance our commitment to protect the marine environment, while supporting a sustainable fishing industry, promoting tourism and providing cultural, recreational and economic benefits for coastal communities.”
Australian Marine Parks are located in Commonwealth waters that start at the outer edge of state and territory waters, generally no less than three nautical miles (5.5 km) from the shore, and extend to the outer boundary of Australia’s exclusive economic zone, 200 nautical miles (about 370 km) from the shore.
Individual marine parks have been carefully zoned to include representative examples of Australia’s marine habitats and features. This builds the resilience of our marine environment to withstand pressures, including some of the impacts of climate change, cyclones, marine pollution, and invasive species.
Ms Barnes has considered comments from more than 54,000 submissions providing feedback on the preparation of draft plans.
She has also considered the recommendations from the independent review of Commonwealth marine reserves released in 2016; the best available science; the expertise of traditional owners on managing sea country; and experiences from those managing Australian and international marine parks.
“Finalising these plans makes us one of the world’s leaders in marine protection,” she said.
“Already our country’s marine parks cover 36 per cent of waters around this country. That’s more than comparable to many similar countries, like the United States, France, Canada, Mexico or Chile.”
The full draft plans can be found at Parks Australia’s Marine Park page.
