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Marine Protected Areas
The Macquarie Island Commonwealth Marine Reserve Management Plan expired on the 25th of September 2008.
Under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, approval from the Director of National Parks is required to allow existing commercial and recreational activities to legally continue.
Interim Management Arrangements will apply until a new management plan has been put in place.
The interim management arrangements are a series of approvals issued by the Director of National Parks under section 359B of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). Under the EPBC Act, when a management plan is not in operation for a Commonwealth Reserve, approval from the Director of National Parks is required to allow commercial and recreational activities, that are consistent with the IUCN categories of the zones of the reserves, to legally continue. Approval can be given to both individuals and to classes of persons, and can be issued with or without conditions on the approved activity.
The interim management arrangements for the Macquarie Island Commonwealth Marine Reserve (the Reserve) are set out on this page under ‘Approvals and Information’ below.
The Reserve was proclaimed under the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1975 (NPWC Act) on 27 October 1999. The NPWC Act was replaced on 16 July 2000 by the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) but as stipulated in the Environmental Reform (Consequential Provisions) Act 1999, the proclamation of the Reserve is continued as if it had been made under the EPBC Act.
The first Management Plan for the Reserve came into force on 26 September 2001. The Plan divides the Reserve into three zones: a central IUCN category Ia Highly Protected Zone of 5.8 million hectares flanked by two IUCN category IV Habitat/Species Management Zones in the northern (2.7 million hectares) and southern (7.7 million hectares) parts of the Reserve. Each of these zones has different management goals and strategies.
The Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts is the Commonwealth's managing authority for the Reserve. Where possible the management of the Marine Reserve complements the management arrangements for the adjacent Macquarie Island Nature Reserve. The Nature Reserve is managed by the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industry, Water and Environment.
Activities that require approvals:
Elephant seals and gentoo penguins, B Watkins, Australian Antarctic Division
See also