Marine Protected Areas
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Department of the Environment and Heritage, 2006
This general information brochure describes the Reserve's values and what you can and can't do in the Reserve.
Located along the coast of Western Australia, Ningaloo Marine Park stretches 300 km northwards from just below the Tropic of Capricorn. It was declared a Marine Park in May 1987 and includes both Commonwealth and State waters covering a total area of 5,076 km2 (see map). The Commonwealth boundaries have been extended twice, most recently in April 2004 to incorporate two relinquished petroleum exploration leases.
The Commonwealth component of the Park is assigned an IUCN (World Conservation Union) Category II – National Park: Protected Area Managed Mainly for Ecosystem Conservation and Recreation. The State component is classified as IUCN Category VI – Managed Resource Protected Areas: Protected Area Managed Mainly for the Sustainable Use of Natural Ecosystems.
Ningaloo Marine Park is managed under a cooperative arrangement between the Department of the Environment and Water Resources, the Western Australian Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) and the Western Australian Department of Fisheries. Management arrangements are outlined in the Ningaloo Marine Park (Commonwealth Waters) Management Plan. This brochure describes the values of the entire Marine Park, but sets out the management arrangements for the Commonwealth Waters only.