New protections for Australia's world class marine parks
by John Curnow 3 Jul 2018 05:00 UTC
Coral Sea Marine Park © Gary Cranitch
As of 1 July, an additional 2.3 million square kilometres of Australian waters are being actively managed for the first time under our world-leading marine park management system, with five new management plans now in effect.
This brings all 60 Australian Marine Parks, covering more than 3.2 million square kilometres of ocean, under protection.
It also means Australia is now actively managing the second largest network of marine parks in the world.
From one of the largest marine parks, the Coral Sea Marine Park in the east, to the world heritage listed Ningaloo Reef Marine Park in the west, to the Great Australian Bight in the South, the new arrangements will help conserve and protect marine species and their habitats.
To learn more about what the new arrangements mean for marine park users, we encourage you to explore our updated website at www.parksaustralia.gov.au/marine.
There are new pages for each marine park, highlighting natural and cultural values and interactive maps that allow you to easily find out the new arrangements in each marine park and how they affect you.
We recognise that some individuals will be impacted by the new protections and that there will be a period of transition.
To assist with the transition, the Australian Government has announced a package of $35 million to help industries and communities adjust to new management arrangements in marine parks. Click here for more information about the Fisheries Adjustment and User Engagement program.
We'll be in contact soon to let you know about opportunities for you to be involved in managing our marine parks – including through grants, advisory committees or citizen science projects.