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Joseph Bonaparte Gulf Commonwealth Marine Reserve
Overview
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR MARINE USERS
Transitional arrangements for new areas added to the Commonwealth marine reserve estate
From the declaration of Commonwealth marine reserves in November 2012 until management plans come into effect in July 2014, transitional arrangements apply.
- Under the transitional arrangements, there are NO CHANGES ON THE WATER for users of new areas added to the Commonwealth marine reserves estate.
- NOTE: There are no changes to management arrangements in the marine reserves that existed prior to the establishment of the new reserves, that is, the same restrictions on activities will continue to apply even where those reserves have been incorporated into new reserves.
| Name | Joseph Bonaparte Gulf Commonwealth Marine Reserve |
|---|---|
| Area | 8597 km2 |
| Depth range | 5-75 m (approx.) |
| Types of zoning |
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Major conservation values
- Important foraging area for:
- threatened and migratory marine turtles (green and olive ridley)
- the Australian snubfin dolphin
- Examples of the shallow water ecosystems and communities of the Northwest Shelf Transition Province, the second largest of all the provincial bioregions on the shelf, which includes the extensive banks that make up the Van Diemen Rise and the Sahul Shelf, broad shelf terraces and the shallow basin in the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf (including the Cambridge-Bonaparte, Anson Beagle and Bonaparte Gulf meso-scale bioregions)
- One key ecological feature is included in the reserve:
- carbonate banks of the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf (enhanced productivity, high biodiversity, unique seafloor feature)