Our Australia - One Place, Many Stories: Oceans
Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities
2012 edition
PRODUCT CODE: MAR124.1012
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Minister's foreword
Australia is surrounded by magnificent oceans that are the envy of the world. But we cannot afford to sit back and take it for granted that they will remain that way.
In the space of one lifetime, the world's oceans have gone from being relatively pristine to being under increasing pressure year after year.
The Australian Government's marine planning process ensures our precious marine environment will be protected.
We are doing more than conservation – we're making sure the future of our oceans is one of strength and resilience.
While iconic places such as the Great Barrier Reef and Ningaloo Reef draw much of the world's attention, our oceans are home to an abundance of marine life. Some of the marine life found in our nation's oceans is not found anywhere else in the world.
Australia's vast oceans provide many benefits to its people and visitors alike — as a source of food and resources, and as a place of recreation.
They support coastal communities and their marine industries. But while we are reliant on our oceans' richness economically and socially, we also need to conserve and protect this resource for current and future generations. We need to ensure we use our marine resources sustainably.
It's for this reason that protecting our oceans is so important. For generations, Australians have understood the need to preserve precious areas on land as national parks. In the same way, our oceans contain fragile marine life that also deserves protection. That's why Australia has developed the largest network of marine reserves in the world.
The Australian Government's marine bioregional plans and representative marine reserves network will together help ensure that we have a sustainable marine environment that is both healthy and productive.
This book will take you on a journey across Australia's oceans and give you a snapshot of our precious marine world.
