Marine bioregional plans are being developed by the Australian Government under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the EPBC Act) to improve the way our oceans are managed and help them remain healthy and productive.

Marine bioregional plans will describe the marine environment and conservation values of each marine region, set out broad biodiversity objectives, identify conservation priorities and outline strategies and actions to address these priorities.

By bringing together scientific knowledge and information from many sources on the biophysical characteristics and diversity of life in our oceans, marine bioregional plans will:

• assist the Commonwealth Environment Minister make strategic, consistent and informed decisions under the EPBC Act in relation to Commonwealth waters
• assist people planning to undertake activities within a marine region to determine how to mitigate potential environmental impacts of their proposal
• clarify the Australian Government's marine environment protection and biodiversity conservation responsibilities, objectives and priorities.

Marine bioregional plans apply to Commonwealth waters - which start at the edge of state/ territory waters (usually 3 nautical miles from the coast) and extend to the outer limits of Australia's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) some 200 nautical miles from shore.

There are five marine regions across Australia's Commonwealth waters - the South-west, North-west, North, East and South-east. A marine bioregional plan will be prepared for each of these regions.

Marine bioregional plans for all regions will be completed after people have had an opportunity to provide feedback on drafts which are being released progressively during 2011 and 2012 for consultation.

Marine bioregional plans are being prepared for the South-west, North-west, North, East and South-east Marine Regions. Draft Plans will be released for public consultation. Anyone with an interest in the marine bioregional planning process is encouraged to make a written submission during the 3 month formal consultation period for each region.

Marine bioregional plans for all regions will then be completed after public submissions have been considered, any amendments to the Plans have been made and the Commonwealth Environment Minister has approved them.

For information about the current status of marine bioregional planning in your region of interest, please see www.environment.gov.au/coasts/mbp.

Marine reserves (also known as marine protected areas or marine parks) are parts of the ocean that are managed specifically to conserve the plants and animals that live within them.

Protecting areas that contain representative examples of different wildlife and habitats across linked networks is widely regarded, both nationally and internationally, as one of the most effective mechanisms for maintaining the long-term health and productivity of our oceans.

The Australian Government currently manages 27 marine reserves, including the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and the representative network of marine reserves in Australia's South-east Marine Region. Australia's states and the Northern Territory manage around 170 existing marine parks across state waters.

In total, marine reserves currently cover around 1 million square kilometres or just over 11 percent of Australia's oceans (excluding Antarctic waters).

New Commonwealth marine reserves will be located in Commonwealth waters, which start at the edge of state/ territory waters (usually 3 nautical miles from the coast) and extend to the outer limits of Australia's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) some 200 nautical miles from shore.

The Australian Government is working to establish a network of marine reserves within which all different types of marine biodiversity that are found in Commonwealth waters are represented and protected. At the same time, the government is seeking to ensure that it minimises the adverse socioeconomic impacts on users of the marine environment that can arise when new Commonwealth marine reserves are established.

Identification of new Commonwealth marine reserves is being guided by the Goals and Principles for Establishment of the National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas in Commonwealth Waters. The Goals and Principles direct that, where possible, new Commonwealth marine reserves should be designed in such a way that they avoid areas that are highly valued by industry and recreational users while also ensuring good conservation outcomes.

Scientific information on marine biodiversity, habitats and ecosystems, as well information on human values and activities in the marine environment is being used to design draft networks of new Commonwealth marine reserves.

The Australian Government guidelines for identifying where new marine reserves will be located are called the Goals and Principles for the Establishment of the National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas in Commonwealth Waters. The Goals and Principles provide direction on how to ensure that all types of marine ecosystems and biodiversity are represented within the national network of marine reserves while minimising socioeconomic impacts on people who use the marine environment.

A range of information is being used to ensure that the network of new Commonwealth marine reserves is consistent with the Goals and Principles. Scientists, managers/regulators, industry representatives and the community have all contributed data and other information to the marine bioregional planning process. This information is helping to improve our understanding of Australia's marine biodiversity, how our marine ecosystems work and how people interact with marine environments and resources.

Some information that is used in the marine bioregional planning process (for example, some data on commercial fisheries activities and oil and gas prospectivity) is confidential and can not be shared publicly. However, most data are available either through the internet or by contacting the agency or group who owns the data (the data 'custodian') directly. The marine bioregional planning online data list shows how you can access data used in marine bioregional planning and the design of Commonwealth marine reserves.

• Marine bioregional planning online data list

New Commonwealth marine reserves will not take effect until they are declared under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).

Commonwealth marine reserve network proposals for the South-west, North-west, North and East (Temperate East and Coral Sea) Marine Regions will be released for public consultation during 2011. The marine reserve network proposals for each marine region will be completed after public submissions have been considered, any amendments have been made, and the Australian Government has approved them.

Following the release of the final marine reserve network proposals for each region, the public will be invited to provide input to a process to formally establish the proposed networks of new Commonwealth marine reserves under the EPBC Act. This process will include a statutory consultation period of 60 days. Stakeholder feedback received during this consultation period will be considered before the Australian Government makes the final decision to proclaim the marine reserve networks and they take effect.

After the marine reserves networks have been proclaimed, there will be two further formal consultation periods when people can submit feedback on the development of a management plan for each marine reserve network.

New Commonwealth marine reserves will be managed through different zones which will determine which activities may occur where. Some activities will not be permitted within any reserve and some activities will not be permitted within certain zones within each reserve.

Large parts of the regional networks of Commonwealth marine reserve will be zoned to allow many activities to continue as long as those activities are consistent with the primary objective of protecting biodiversity.

Highly protected zones will be included within the network of new marine reserves. These zones will be managed to preserve the area in an undisturbed and unmodified condition, and where disturbance has occurred allow it to recover. Extractive activities such as mining, oil and gas exploration and development and fishing will not be permitted in highly protected zones.

No. The boundaries and activities currently allowed in the existing South-east marine reserve network will not be changed through the marine bioregional planning process.

The Australian Government does not have percentage targets that must be met when designing the marine reserve network or the area of highly protected zones. The network of Commonwealth marine reserves that is identified through the marine bioregional planning process is intended to fully represent Australia's marine ecosystems and biodiversity.

There are no targets. The final networks of marine reserves will include a range of zones, from multiple use to marine national park (highly protected). The Goals and Principles for the Establishment of the National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas in Commonwealth Waters underpin the design of the networks and the selection of zone type. The final size, type, location and number of zones in each of the reserves networks will be decided after consideration of the submissions received on the proposed regional marine reserve networks.

Oil and gas exploration and development will be allowed in multiple use and special purpose zones (IUCN Category VI). However, final decisions on oil and gas activities in marine reserves will be subject to case by case assessment and approval in accordance with the requirements of national environmental law. Referred activities are subject to a rigorous and comprehensive assessment process.

Anyone who has an interest in or concern about the Marine Bioregional Planning Program, including the development of Commonwealth marine reserves network proposals, is encouraged to make a submission during the regional public consultation periods. Submissions can be made online, by email or in writing. More information on the public consultation process in each marine region and how to make submissions is available at www.environment.gov.au/coasts/mbp/consultation.html.

In your submission you may wish to tell us about any aspects of the proposed marine reserve boundaries and/or zones that you are most interested in, and any potential impacts or benefits of the proposed marine reserves on you/your sector/your organisation/your community.

When marine reserve networks are established under Australia's national environmental law, management plans will be prepared for each network. These plans will describe how each network will be managed, including how the reserve networks will be monitored and evaluated. This information will assist the government to determine how well they are contributing to conservation outcomes.

The establishment of Commonwealth marine reserves play an important role in the conservation of marine ecosystems and the biodiversity of our oceans for the long-term. Once each Commonwealth marine reserve network has been proclaimed under Australia's national environmental law their boundaries and zoning can only be changed through formal statutory processes involving public consultation.

The proposed zoning for marine reserve network proposals encompasses a wide-range of activities and has been designed to be as simple as possible for marine users while helping to manage and protect the values of the marine environment that users enjoy. However, a wider range of zones is possible based on the different zone types provided for under national environmental law. For example, it would be possible to establish zones for the exclusive purpose of scientific monitoring.

Submissions on all aspects of the proposed marine reserves will be considered including those received on the proposed zones.

As with existing Commonwealth marine reserves, resources will be dedicated to compliance activities. The final marine reserve network for each marine region will be designed to facilitate compliance and will be supported by a comprehensive compliance strategy. The exact details of how we enforce new reserves will be considered as part of the development of the network management plan for the new reserves.

After each regional consultation period has closed, submissions will be analysed by the department to help develop a final marine reserve network proposal.

The views and information presented in the submissions will be provided to the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, who will take them into consideration when making decisions about finalising Commonwealth marine reserves network proposals.

All comments will be treated as public documents and may be made public (along with your name or organisation) on the department's website unless the department agrees to an author's specific request for their submission to remain confidential.

The design of the final marine reserves networks is underpinned by the Goals and Principles for the Establishment of the National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas in Commonwealth Waters. The feedback and comments that we receive in relation to a marine reserves network proposal in combination with these existing goals and principles are the main sources of information that will influence and alter the design of a reserves network.

It is important for anyone with an interest or stake in a proposed marine reserves network to make a submission taking into consideration the proposed reserves boundaries and/or zones, and the benefits and/or impacts on their business, sector, organisation or community, even if they support the reserves networks as they are proposed. This will enable the department to assess any potential modifications to the networks thoroughly during the analysis and preparation of the final reserves.