Protected places in the South-west Marine Region
Within the South-west Marine Region there is currently one Commonwealth marine reserve - the Great Australian Bight Marine Park - and five shipwrecks protected under the Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976.
The Great Australian Bight Marine Park
The Great Australian Bight Marine Park (Commonwealth waters), declared in 1998, is currently the only MPA within the Region. At around 19 700 km2, the park is one of the Australian Government's largest MPAs. The park, including its South Australia State waters components, stretches from 200 km west of Ceduna in South Australia along the coast to the Western Australian border. The park is managed cooperatively by the Australian Government and the South Australian Government. It was also the first MPA to include an area especially designed to be representative of the Region.
The combined Commonwealth and State waters of the Park are split into four management zones. Within South Australian waters there are Sanctuary and Conservation Zones, and in Commonwealth waters there is a Marine Mammal Protection Zone and a Benthic Protection Zone. These zones are designed to protect the particular conservation values of the Park which are:
- globally significant habitat for the southern right whale - breeding and calving aggregations of this species, which is listed as endangered, are found in western South Australia and Western Australia along the shores of the Great Australian Bight to Cape Leeuwin;
- haul-out, breeding and foraging grounds for the Australian sea lion, a species that occurs only in Australia's southern waters on offshore islands from the Houtman Abrolhos Islands off Western Australia to Kangaroo Island, and on some mainland South Australian sites;
- habitat for other species of conservation significance, such as the humpback whale, the white shark and several species of albatross; and
- The Great Australian Bight Marine Park contributes to the National Representative System of MPAs by protecting a representative transect of the seabed on the continental shelf and slope of the Great Australian Bight.
Several unique factors combine to contribute to the high level of biodiversity and endemism in the area of the Park. These include a long period of geological isolation, a persistent high wind and wave energy environment, warm-water intrusion via the Leeuwin current from Western Australia, and cold-water, nutrient-rich upwellings in the east. Taxonomic groups with exceptional diversity in this area include red algae (sea weed), ascidians (sea squirts), bryozoans (lace corals), molluscs (shellfish) and echinoderms (sea urchins and sea stars).
The EPBC Act (s.354) prohibits actions affecting native species inside the park unless authorised under the Great Australian Bight Marine Park (Commonwealth waters) Management Plan 2005-2012. The plan currently allows a range of activities, including fishing and scientific research, to be carried out under permit from the Director of National Parks. Other provisions of the Act prevent activities that affect species of particular conservation interest (in the park or other Commonwealth waters), and control actions that could have a 'significant' impact on the Commonwealth marine environment, including the park's seabed. The park's management plan supplements this protection by minimising disturbances to areas of habitat important to these species, and prohibiting disturbances to the seabed by benthic trawling, while allowing for other ecologically sustainable activities in the park.
Further information on the Great Australian Bight Marine Park
Historic shipwrecks
Within the South-west Marine Region there are currently five known historic shipwrecks protected under the Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976 [note however that many more shipwrecks are located in State waters]. These are the:
- SS Cambewarra, a steam powered transport vessel that was wrecked in 1914 near Fisherman's Island, 80 km south of Dongara, Western Australia;
- Red Rover, a fishing boat wrecked in September 1887 near Coffin Bay, South Australia;
- Lord Roberts, wrecked in 1902 in the Gulf St Vincent;
Following were found in March 2008
- HMAS Sydney II, wrecked in 1941 while engaged in battle with the HSK Kormoran, approximately 250km off the mid-west coast of Western Australia; and
- HSK Kormoran, wrecked in 1941 while engaged in battle with the HMAS Sydney II, approximately 250km off the mid-west coast of Western Australia.
For approximate locations of these shipwrecks please download the map below:
The HMAS Sydney II and German raider HSK Kormoran were found in March 2008, some 66 years after they were lost. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts has placed a provisional declaration over the HMAS Sydney II and German raider HSK Kormoran under the Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976. The declaration gives legal protection to these historically significant vessels and relics, from damage, disturbance or removal. Under the provisional declaration, unauthorised damage, disturbance or removal of the sites is prohibited. This action will ensure respect for all those that died in the battle but will not prevent further documentation of the site.
It should also be noted that information about the location of shipwrecks is often approximate and that other historic shipwrecks may be located within the Region.
Further information about Historic Shipwrecks and the Act
Quick links
- Species profile and Threats Database
- EPBC Act
- IMCRA
- NRSMPA
- Marine Protected Areas and Displaced Fishing
- Threatened Species and Ecological Communities
- Listed migratory species
- List of marine species
- Cetaceans
- The Great Australian Bight Marine Park (Commonwealth Waters)
- Historic shipwrecks
- WA Marine Reserve System
- SA Marine Planning
See also
Before you download
Most publications are downloadable as PDF files. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view PDF files.
If you are unable to access a publication, please contact us to organise a suitable alternative format.
Key
Links to another web site
Opens a pop-up window
