The Commonwealth Government manages an estate of marine protected areas that are Commonwealth reserves under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).
| Marine protected area |
Year declared
|
Total area (ha)
|
|
| Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve |
1983
|
58,300
|
Ia
II
|
55,000
3,300
|
| Cartier Island Marine Reserve |
2000
|
17,200
|
Ia
|
17,200
|
| Coringa-Herald National Nature Reserve |
1982
|
885,000
|
Ia
|
885,000
|
| Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs Marine National Nature Reserve |
1987
|
188,000
|
Decision pending
|
188,000
|
| Great Australian Bight Marine Park (Commonwealth Waters) |
1998
|
1,940,000
|
VI
|
1,940,000
|
| Heard Island and McDonald Islands Marine Reserve |
2002
|
6,460,000
|
Ia
|
6,460,000
|
| Lihou Reef National Nature Reserve |
1982
|
843,000
|
Ia
|
843,000
|
| Lord Howe Island Marine Park (Commonwealth Waters) |
2000
|
300,000
|
IV
Ia
|
204,000
96,000
|
| Macquarie Island Marine Park |
1999
|
16,200,000
|
Ia
IV
|
5,700,000
10,500,000
|
| Mermaid Reef Marine National Nature Reserve |
1991
|
54,000
|
Ia
|
54,000
|
| Ningaloo Marine Park (Commonwealth Waters) |
1987
|
244,000
|
II
|
244,000
|
| Solitary Islands Marine Reserve (Commonwealth Waters) |
1993
|
15,680
|
Ia
IV
VI
|
80
3,700
11,900
|
| Tasmanian Seamounts Marine Reserve |
1999 |
38,900
|
VI
Note: Category Ia below 500 metres
|
38,900
|
|
Total area of estate (ha)
|
27,244,080
|
|
The following terrestrial protected areas that are Commonwealth reserves have marine components
The Commonwealth Government manages the following marine protected areas that are not Commonwealth reserves
- the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (declared in 1975, total area 34,480,000 ha), managed by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, a statutory authority within the Commonwealth Government's environment portfolio
- 1 Antarctic Special Protection Area (total area 2,088 ha)
The Commonwealth Government has made significant progress over the past decade in extending the estate of Commonwealth marine protected areas.
Total area of Commonwealth waters protected, 1980 to 2004
Statistics about the extent and location of marine protected areas nationally, date of declaration, IUCN categories etc are available in the CAPAD.
The following summaries of the management arrangements in each Commonwealth marine protected area are intended as a guide only.
