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The way ahead for Australia's northern oceans
Marine Bioregional Planning in Commonwealth Waters
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About the brochure
The North Marine Bioregional Plan will deliver certainty for industry, protection for this remarkable marine environment and conservation of its biodiversity.
This Region covers all Commonwealth waters from the western side of Cape York to the Northern Territory/Western Australian border. It includes about 700,000 square kilometres of waters in the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Arafura and Timor Seas.
What are Marine Bioregional Plans?
Australia is leading the world in developing plans for effective environmental management of our vast ocean territory.
Through the marine bioregional planning program, the Australian Government will:
- Prepare Marine Bioregional Plans for Commonwealth waters under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act).
- Establish networks of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) as the Commonwealth contribution to the National Representative System of MPAs.
Marine Bioregional Plans are being developed across five marine regions - the South-west, North, North-west, East and South-east. The South-east Regional Marine Plan was completed in 2004 and will provide the basis for a Marine Bioregional Plan to be developed under the EPBC Act. While we know little about our oceans compared to the terrestrial environment, Marine Bioregional Plans will consolidate available knowledge to provide us with the best possible basis for decision-making about the conservation of the marine environment.