Regional significance
The area supports a population of bottlenose dolphins and the Bay is registered as a type locality for many marine invertebrates and algal habitats. the park protects coastal dune systems and their associated habitats which are otherwise disturbed or potentially threatened in the region. The area is scientifically valuable as it has not undergone degradation like the Sydney area. The preservation as a southern representative of the sandstone ecosystems is highly important.
The area of the park has long been a popular destination for visitors. Christians Minde guest house on Sussex Inlet provided the first tourist accommodation in the area in 1896. Since then, the area has become a major tourist destination. The natural bushland setting of the park provides visitors with recreational opportunities, which are limited elsewhere in the region.
In recognition of the bay's outstanding natural and recreational values, the New South Wales Government declared the State waters of Jervis Bay as a Marine Park jointly managed by New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service and New South Wales Fisheries. In the planning report Our heritage our future, A Discussion Paper (1992) the Shoalhaven City Council, with the New South Wales Department of Planning, has proposed mechanisms for preserving the outstanding landscape features of Jervis Bay and diversity and richness of its natural and cultural heritage. The mechanism adopts the concept of regional planning with an emphasis on Booderee National Park and the area's terrestrial reserves, the proposed Jervis Bay Marine Park and retainment and enhancement of habitat corridors. For natural and cultural heritage protection to occur it is imperative that park management is sympathetic to this regional approach.
