Protected species in the South-west Marine Region
The South-west Marine Region is an important area for many species that are protected under the EPBC Act. Many of the species listed under the EPBC Act are also protected under State legislation. Species listed under the EPBC Act are commonly referred to as 'protected species' because it is an offence to kill, injure, take, trade, keep or move a listed species without authorisation. Under the EPBC Act, species can be listed as threatened, migratory, cetaceans or as marine:
- Threatened species - are those species that have been identified as being in danger of becoming extinct;
- Listed Migratory species - are those species that are listed under:
- the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS or Bonn Convention),
- the Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of Japan for the Protection of Migratory Birds in Danger of Extinction and their Environment 1974 (JAMBA),
- the Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the People's Republic of China for the Protection of Migratory Birds and their Environment 1986 (CAMBA), or
- any other international agreement, or instrument made under other international agreements approved by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts.
- Cetaceans - all species of cetacean (including whales, dolphins and porpoises) are protected under the EPBC Act to ensure their future survival; and
- Listed Marine Species - species belonging to taxa that the Australian Government recognises as requiring protection to ensure their long-term conservation (in accordance with Section 248 of the EPBC Act). Listed marine species occurring in the South-west include:
- sea-snakes (Families Hydrophiidae and Laticaudidae),
- seals, both eared and true seals (Families Otariidae and Phocidae),
- marine turtles (Families Cheloniidae and Dermochelyidae),
- seahorses, sea-dragons, pipefish and ghost pipefish (Families Syngnathidae and Solenostomidae), and
- seabirds (i.e. defined in the EPBC Act as bird species that occur naturally in Commonwealth marine areas).
Species can also be listed under more than one category; for instance marine turtles are listed as threatened species, migratory species and as marine species. Further information on the protected species
There are 105 species protected under the EPBC Act that are known to occur in the South-west Region: 26 species listed as threatened, 49 as migratory, 31 cetaceans and 70 listed as marine (see below Table 1.1). In addition, there are another 77 species that may infrequently occur in the Region. Species that may infrequently occur in the South-west Marine Region are defined as those:
- that are accidental visitors to the Region; or
- that on the basis of available information about their range are considered as species that may occur in the Region.
Under the EPBC Act, species listed as 'threatened' or 'migratory' are matters of National Environmental Significance. Proposals for activities likely to have a significant impact on matters of National Environmental Significance must be referred to the Australian Government Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Arts for approval. The requirement to refer proposals for actions likely to have a significant impact on matters of National Environmental Significance applies to activities proposed not only in areas managed by the Commonwealth but also in areas managed by the States and Territories.
Significant Impact Guidelines for Matters of National Environmental Significance have been produced to provide advice to proponents on when referrals should be submitted for approval. These guidelines provide specific advice about the kinds of actions likely to have a significant impact on threatened and migratory species. The guidelines also provide specific advice about the kinds of actions likely to have a significant impact on the Commonwealth marine environment. Under these guidelines for the Commonwealth marine environment, any actions that will, or are likely to, have a substantial adverse effect on a population of a marine species or cetacean including its life cycle (e.g. breeding, feeding, migratory behaviour, life expectancy) and spatial distribution are identified as actions that should be referred for approval.
Species listed under the EPBC Act are also protected from adverse interactions with commercial fishing operations. Under the EPBC Act all fisheries managed under Commonwealth legislation, and State-managed fisheries that have an export component, must be assessed to ensure that, over time, fisheries are managed in an ecologically sustainable way. These fishery assessments are conducted using the Guidelines for the Ecologically Sustainable Management of Fisheries. These guidelines specify that fisheries must be conducted in a manner that does not threaten by-catch species and that "avoids mortality of, or injuries to, endangered, threatened or protected species".
For a complete list of the protected species known to occur in the South-west Marine Region and information on important areas for these species, please download 'Protected species known to occur in the South-west Marine Region'. For a list of the protected species that may infrequently occur in the South-west Marine Region, please download 'Protected species that may infrequently occur in the South-west Marine Region'.
For further information on protected species in the South-west Marine Region please download the Protected Species Group Report Cards which are included at Appendix D of the South-west Marine Bioregional Profile. These report cards have been prepared for each of the broad taxonomic groups listed under the EPBC Act that are known to occur in the Region.
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
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