Marine Protected Areas
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This is the first Management Plan for Cartier Island Marine Reserve and the second Management Plan for Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve
Environment Australia, 2002
ISBN 0 6425 4854 4
Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve and Cartier Island Marine Reserve (the 'Reserves') are within Commonwealth waters off the coast of northern Western Australia. Environment Australia (EA) is the Commonwealth's managing authority for the Reserves. The Reserves protect unique and vulnerable marine ecosystems with high biological diversity. The Reserves include reefs which are part of remote reefal systems which provide critical stepping stones for the transportation of biological material from the centres of biodiversity in the Indo-Pacific to the reefal and other inter-dependant ecosystems located along the Western Australian coast.
Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve and Cartier Island Marine Reserve are part of the National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas (NRSMPA). The primary goal of the NRSMPA is to establish and manage a comprehensive, adequate and representative system of marine protected areas and to contribute to the long-term ecological viability of marine systems, to maintain ecological processes and to protect Australia's biological diversity at all levels. Accelerated development of the NRSMPA is a specific action of Australia's Oceans Policy launched by the Commonwealth Government in December 1998.
Management planning for the Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve and Cartier Island Marine Reserve is designed to conform to the Best Practice in Performance Reporting in Natural Resource Management (ANZECC 1997), with an emphasis on strategic objectives, management goals and strategies, and performance assessment. The performance assessment framework will generally follow that set out in the Strategic Plan of Action for the National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas - A Guide for Action by Australian Governments (ANZECC 1999).
The management plans for the Reserves have been prepared under provisions of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and meet all the statutory requirements for a management plan under that Act. The EPBC Act allows for the management plans for different reserves to appear in one document. Given the close proximity of the Reserves, the similar nature of the threats they face and the management goals and strategies required, the management plans for the Reserves have been combined in one document (the 'Plan'). The Plan contains the first management plan for Cartier Island Marine Reserve, and the second management plan for Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve.
As required by the EPBC Act, the Plan assigns an IUCN (World Conservation Union) category to the Reserves, and in the case of Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve to each of the zones of the Reserve. Cartier Island Marine Reserve is not divided into zones by the Plan. The overall category of both Reserves is IUCN category Ia - strict nature reserve. Such reserves are managed primarily to ensure habitats, ecosystems and native species are preserved in an undisturbed state and to facilitate research.
As required by the EPBC Act, the Plan provides for the protection and conservation of the Reserves and states how the Reserves will be managed. The Plan describes the conservation and cultural values of the Reserves, the pressures on these values, and a management regime to ensure these values are protected. A framework for compliance and enforcement and for assessing the performance of the management of the Reserves is provided.
A management plan for a Commonwealth reserve has effect for seven years, unless revoked or amended earlier by another management plan for the reserve. The Plan may only be altered following the same statutory and consultative process used in its preparation.
Conall O'Connell
First Assistant Secretary
Marine and Water Division
Delegate of the Director of National Parks
Department of the Environment and Heritage
GPO Box 787
CANBERRA ACT 2601