About marine bioregional planning

The science behind marine bioregional planning and the design of new marine reserves

Science plays a pivotal role in the development of marine bioregional plans and the design of a national network of Commonwealth marine reserves. 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.

Marine bioregional planning online data list

The marine bioregional planning online data list shows how you can access the primary data that is being used in marine bioregional planning and the design of Commonwealth marine reserves.

Marine bioregional planning online data list

How science is used in the preparation of marine bioregional plans

Marine bioregional plans are being developed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). They will underpin improved management of the marine environment and its biodiversity by taking what is known as an 'ecosystem approach'. This means that the plans will not just look at a single marine species or habitat in isolation, but rather consider the linkages between each part of the marine environment, the role each plays in the health and productivity of our ocean ecosystem and their relationships with human activities.

Marine bioregional plans are being developed in consultation with stakeholders and with input from scientists and other experts.

There are a number of ways that scientific information is used in the marine bioregional planning process:

Bioregional Profiles for each marine region were prepared using scientific information about the region's biophysical and socio-economic characteristics and conservation values. In particular, scientists were involved in the identification of key ecological features and the compilation and analysis of data on the biophysical characteristics of each region. When the Bioregional Profiles were publicly released stakeholders, scientists and other experts were asked to identify any information that was missing or had been misinterpreted within them. In this way, the Bioregional Profiles were also important in building the information base for each marine region. The bioregional profiles for each region also include extensive scientific references.
As draft marine bioregional plans are developed, scientific information is being used to assess pressures on the conservation values for each marine region. Scientific information used in assessments includes environmental and impact assessment studies, risk assessments, expert advice and research conducted both within Australia and elsewhere. Scientists are also involved in the identification of Biologically Important Areas for marine species.
Once a draft marine bioregional plan has been released, scientists and other experts as well as stakeholders and the wider community will have the opportunity to provide input including identifying new and/or more detailed information that will assist in the completion of the plan. This input will help ensure the final marine bioregional plans are based on accurate information and present a shared understanding of the conservation objectives and priorities within a region.
Once the final marine bioregional plans are in place, monitoring and evaluation activities will draw on scientific information from a range of sources to provide up to date information on marine conservation values, the pressures on them and the status of regional conservation priorities.

How science is used in designing Commonwealth marine reserves

Through the marine bioregional planning process, a national network of marine reserves will be identified in Commonwealth waters. This network will become part of the National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas (NRSMPA), which has been under development since all Australian governments agreed to its development in 1998.

Marine bioregional planning and the National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas

The primary aim of the NRSMPA is to establish and manage a comprehensive, adequate and representative system of marine reserves to contribute to the long-term conservation of marine ecosystems and to protect marine biological diversity.

The Australian Government policy for identifying areas for inclusion in the NRSMPA is called the Goals and Principles for the Establishment of the National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas in Commonwealth Waters (the Goals and Principles). These Goals and Principles provide a consistent framework for identifying new marine reserves. They emphasise the strong role science needs to play in identifying new marine reserves.

The Goals and Principles describe four goals to maximise conservation outcomes that guide the identification of areas suitable for inclusion in the NRSMPA. Together, the goals provide direction on how to ensure that all types of marine ecosystems and biodiversity are represented within the national network of marine reserves. Scientific data is being used to identify and design new Commonwealth marine reserves and consider how marine reserve network proposals meet the Goals and Principles.

The types of information that are being used in the design of Commonwealth marine reserves include:

existing scientific information underlying the Integrated Marine and Coastal Regionalisation of Australia (IMCRA v.4.0) (for example, bathymetry, geomorphic features, distribution of endemic biota such as fish species and sponges)
expert advice and scientific data on habitats, species distribution and ecology gathered during the marine bioregional planning process
data on the location and distribution of human activities in a marine region
information provided by industry, managers/regulators, ocean users and stakeholders in each marine region.

For example:

Goal 1 states that each provincial bioregion occurring in a marine region should be represented in the marine reserve network. The Integrated Marine and Coastal Regionalisation of Australia (IMCRA v4.0) is a scientific analysis that has classified Australia's marine environment into broadly similar ecological regions (including provincial bioregions). The 41 provincial bioregions in Australian waters have been determined largely on the basis of research on different assemblages of fish species and sponges that live at the seafloor as well as different types of deep water habitats and seafloor sediments.
- Integrated Marine and Coastal Regionalisation of Australia (IMCRA v4.0)
- IMCRA Provincial bioregions map
Goal 2 states that all oceans depths should be represented in the marine reserve network. Scientific assessment has demonstrated that different biological communities live at different depths. Therefore, by including different ocean depths within Commonwealth marine reserve networks, we can ensure that examples of all types of marine biodiversity will be protected.
Goal 3 states that examples of benthic/demersal biological features (for example large scale seafloor habitats, communities, ecosystems) should be represented in the marine reserve network. Marine biological features have been determined through scientific analysis of fine-scale information on distribution patterns of fish and invertebrate species as well as physical features such as sediment grain size and composition, seabed temperatures, and bathymetry. Scientists have also analysed marine biological features to identify large scale ecological features (or Key Ecological Features) that support distinct or important ecological communities at a regional scalee.
Goal 4 states that examples of all different types of physical seafloor features should be represented in the marine reserve network. Seafloor features include underwater seamounts, canyons, and plains. By including samples of all different seafloor features in marine reserves, we ensure that the different ecological communities associated with these features are protected.

This approach seeks to draw on available science while recognising from the outset that the information base for some areas is limited. A significant proportion of each marine region is far offshore, comprised of very deep water, and has not been the subject of detailed scientific study. In circumstances where detailed data on biodiversity is lacking, surrogates for biodiversity (such as water depth, substrate and geomorphology) are being used. This is because science tells us different habitats and species are associated with different physical features in the ocean.

Science is also critical in assessments of any potential socio-economic impacts arising from the establishment of new Commonwealth marine reserves. Scientists are involved in collating and analysing data that will help to ensure that new Commonwealth marine reserves are designed in a way that minimises impacts on people who use marine resources and coastal communities while ensuring good conservation outcomes.