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Norfolk 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.
The new Norfolk Commonwealth Marine Reserve covers an area of more than 188 000km2. A management plan will be prepared for the Temperate East Commonwealth Marine Reserves Network and will cover all eight new reserves.
Transitional management arrangements apply until a management plan for the Temperate East Commonwealth Marine Reserves Network is in place.
| Name | Norfolk Commonwealth Marine Reserve |
|---|---|
Area |
188 443 km2 |
Depth range |
<15–5000 m (approx.) |
| Types of zoning | Marine National Park Zone (IUCN Category II)–41 661 km2 |
Major conservation values
- Biologically important areas for protected humpback whales and a number of migratory seabirds
- The Tasman Front is a region of intermediate productivity that separates the warm, nutrient-poor waters of the Coral Sea from the cold, nutrient-rich waters of the Tasman Sea. It supports high productivity; aggregations of marine life; biodiversity and endemism in the region
- Includes benthic habitats thought to act as stepping stones for faunal dispersal, connecting deep-water fauna from New Caledonia to New Zealand
- Examples of the ecosystems of the Norfolk Island Province
- Represents bank/shoals, basin, canyon, deep/hole/valley, knoll/abyssal-hills/hills/mountains/peak, pinnacle, plateau, ridge, saddle, seamount/guyot, shelf, slope, trench/trough
- Includes one key ecological feature:
- Norfolk Ridge (high productivity, aggregations of marine life; biodiversity and endemism)
Download reserve fact sheet
- Fact sheet - Norfolk Commonwealth Marine Reserve (PDF - 79KB) | (Word - 357KB)