Marine Protected Areas
On 17 February 1993, about 13 000 hectares of Commonwealth waters extending from Coffs Harbour in the south up to Plover Island in the north, was proclaimed the Solitary Islands Marine Reserve (Commonwealth Waters) (SIMR) under the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1975 (Commonwealth) as a seaward adjunct to the Solitary Islands Marine Park (New South Wales). On the 16 July 2000, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) replaced the NPWC Act. The provision of the EPBC Act and EPBC Regulations apply to the planning and management of the Reserve.
Since declaration, the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts and the NSW Marine Parks Authority have developed formal arrangements under a Memorandum of Understanding for co-operative management of both the State and Commonwealth components of the marine park. Under this arrangement, management of Commonwealth and State Reserves are managed as far as possible as a single entity by the NSW Marine Parks Authority. The Commonwealth contributes funding for planning, management and research under and Annual Business Agreement with NSW.
Management of the SIMR (Commonwealth Waters) is undertaken in accordance with management goals and strategies described in the Management Plan prepared by the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts that came into effect for seven years on 4 April 2001. The Management Plan will expire on 3 April 2008. The Reserve will then be managed in accordance with Interim Management Arrangements, until a new Plan comes into operation.
Most of the Reserve is a General Use Zone (IUCN category VI) with two special management zones in the northern section of the Reserve - a Sanctuary Zone (IUCN category Ia - strict nature reserve), and a Habitat Protection Zone (IUCN category IV - habitat/species management area).
The 'no-take' Sanctuary Zone extends in a radius of 500 metres around the centre of Pimpernel Rock. The Sanctuary Zone provides high-level protection for the pinnacle reef habitat at Pimpernel Rock, its biologically diverse ecosystems, ecological processes and associated marine species. In particular, the Sanctuary Zone gives high-level protection to the significant habitat for grey nurse sharks consistent with the Recovery Plan being prepared under the EPBC Act.
The Habitat Protection Zone has been designed to protect a representative sample of whole reef complex, including soft substrate sediments and subtidal reef habitats, deep water biotic communities and predator-prey assemblages, mammals and seabirds.
The zone extends southwards from the northern boundary of the Park and Reserve to a latitude 29° 44' 49" in line with the headland at One Tree Point. The zone protects the adjacent deep reefs to the south east of Sandon Shoals and encompasses the Sanctuary Zone around Pimpernel Rock.
