Marine Protected Areas

Management of Great Australian Bight Marine Park (Commonwealth Waters)

Cilffs of the Great Australian Bight, Barbara Whiddon

The Great Australian Bight Marine Park includes Commonwealth and State components managed as a single unit. Commonwealth and State agencies responsible for administering the Marine Park have established the following structures to ensure that day-to-day management of the Marine Park is consistent across jurisdictional boundaries and takes account of stakeholder views:

• A cross-jurisdictional Steering Committee representing the agencies involved
• A Park Manager based in South Australia
• A non-government Consultative Committee representing community interests

The Australian Government declared the Commonwealth component of the Marine Park, the Great Australian Bight Marine Park (Commonwealth Waters), under the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1975 (NPWC Act) on 17 April 1998. On the 16 July 2000, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) replaced the NPWC Act. This component of the Marine Park continues in force as a Commonwealth reserve under current legislation.

The Commonwealth component of the Marine Park was declared to:

• complement the State component's protection of the endangered southern right whale and rare Australian sea lion
• preserve a representative area of the unique sea-floor (benthic) environment in line with the development of a National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas.

The Commonwealth component of the Marine Park extends to 1000 metres below the seabed.

The 2nd management plan for the Commonwealth component of the Marine Park came into effect on 17 May 2005. This plan will be in effect until 2012. Under the management plan, the park is divided into two management zones

• The Marine Mammal Protection Zone (MMPZ), which is roughly parallel to the coastline of the Great Australian Bight, protects the southern right whale and Australian sea lion and their habitats.
• The Benthic Protection Zone (BPZ), which is roughly perpendicular to the coastline of the Great Australian Bight, protects a cross-shelf transect as a representative strip of the sea-floor environment of the Great Australian Bight.

Each zone is assigned to IUCN category VI — managed resource protected area.

See also

• Management Arrangements for Activities in the Great Australian Bight Marine Park
• Management Plan for the Great Australian Bight Marine Park
• Summary of management plan for Park users
• Legal framework
• Permits
• National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas