Coasts and Oceans Theme Report
Australia State of the Environment Report 2001 (Theme Report)
Australian State of the Environment Committee, Authors
Published by CSIRO on behalf of the Department of the Environment and Heritage, 2001
ISBN 0 643 06751 5
Marine and coastal management (continued)
Marine Protected Areas [CO Indicator 7.12]
The State, Territory and Commonwealth governments committed themselves to developing a National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas (NRSMPA) through the Australia New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council in the early 1990s. Australia's Oceans Policy includes an undertaking by the Commonwealth Government to accelerate the development of this system.
The primary goal of the NRSMPA is to establish and manage a comprehensive, adequate and representative system of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Australian waters. These Marine Protected Areas are to contribute to the long-term ecological viability of marine and estuarine systems and protect Australia's biodiversity (ANZECC 1999).
Marine Protected Areas can be declared under Commonwealth, State or Northern Territory legislation in each jurisdiction's waters. Australian governments are working cooperatively to establish the NRSMPA.
Fraser Island, a World Heritage Area.
Source: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Photo Library
Because of the varying legislation in each jurisdiction, Australian Marine Protected Areas employ a range of naming conventions, subtypes and zones, including marine parks, marine national parks, marine and intertidal habitat areas, coastal reserves, marine management areas, fish habitat protection areas, aquatic reserves, seaward extensions of national parks, marine nature reserves and marine reserves. However, they share a common intent to protect the marine and estuarine environment, particularly habitats such as reefs, seagrass beds, tidal lagoons, mangroves, rock platforms, coastal, deep ocean and underwater seabed areas and any marine cultural heritage.
Under the Australian IUCN Reserve Management Principles, Commonwealth Marine Protected Areas are zoned and classified according to the IUCN categories of protected area management, ranging from highly protected areas to sustainable multiple-use areas. A range of activities may be allowed in a Marine Protected Area, depending on the reason for declaration and management strategies. In some cases, virtually all human activity is excluded (as in strict nature reserve or ' no take' zones, corresponding to IUCN category 1a). Other areas have seasonal restrictions on activities; for example, closure to all activities during the whale breeding season. The States and the Northern Territory have agreed to apply IUCN categories to their Marine Protected Areas to ensure that the NRSMPA achieves its goals, and most also now require a management plan for the area prior to declaration.
A study of the effects of marine reserves on Tasmanian reef fish, invertebrates and algae (Edgar and Barrett 1999) found that their effectiveness appeared to correspond with reserve size. Many overseas studies indicate that highly protected and well-managed reserves protect species in proportion to reserve size.
The number and extent of Marine Protected Areas as at November 2000 are shown in Table 10. Marine Protected Areas declared for Commonwealth waters since 1996 are shown in Table 11.
| Jurisdiction | Number of MPAs | Area in MPAs (ha) | Management Plans produced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commonwealth (incl. GBRMP) | 13 | 53 329 431 | 5 |
| New South Wales | 50 | 127 707 | 4 |
| Victoria | 12 | 50 312 | 7 |
| Tasmania | 5 | 77 110 | 0 |
| South Australia | 17 | 252 371 | 1 |
| Western Australia | 8 | 1 393 387 | 4 |
| Northern Territory | 7 | 230 426 | 0 |
| Queensland | 82 | 5 421 117 | 6 |
| TOTAL | 194 | 60 881 861 | 27 |
Sources: CAPAD (1997) and recent survey for Environment Australia (2000).
| MPA and date of declaration | Area (ha) | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Great Australian Bight Marine Park (Commonwealth waters) (April 1998) Macquarie Island Marine Park (1999) Tasmanian Seamounts Marine Protected Area (1999) Twelve extensions to GBRMP into Queensland waters (2000) Cartier Island Marine Reserve (2000) Lord Howe Island Marine Reserve (Commonwealth waters) (2000) |
19 769 16 200 000 37 000 520 000 16 700 300 510 |
Protect habitat for marine mammals and the diversity of benthic communities Habitat protection for threatened species Protect unique benthic community Multiple use management Protect biodiversity and representative area Protect biodiversity and seamount habitats |
Sources: CAPAD (1997) and recent survey for Environment Australia (2000).
A formal notice of intent to establish the waters around Heard Island and McDonald Islands as a marine reserve was announced in January 2001. The proposed reserve would cover 7.6 million hectares, making it the world's largest highly protected marine reserve.
The Commonwealth Government's Marine Protected Areas Program, a component of the Coasts and Clean Seas Initiative of the Natural Heritage Trust, provides funding to the State and Northern Territory governments to declare MPAs in their jurisdictions. States have established Marine Protected Areas since the 1970s. In 1971, for example South Australia introduced legislation to protect marine habitats. Western Australia commenced in the mid- 1980s, and in 2000 issued a notice of intent for the Jurien Bay Marine Park.
In August 1999 the Tasmania released a draft Marine Protected Areas Strategy for the identification, selection and establishment of MPAs. The strategy is expected to be completed in 2001.
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and Queensland Government agencies are currently undertaking a major program to increase the protection of biodiversity through a new representative network of highly protected areas. It is envisaged that all major habitat types will be included within the next two years.
Marine protected areas declared by States and Territories since 1996 are shown in Table 12.
| Jurisdiction | MPA and date of declaration | Area (ha) | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Australia | Albrolhos Islands Fish Habitat Protection Area (1999) | 246 744 | |
| Northern Territory | Charles Darwin National Park (marine component) (1998) | 250 | |
| Tasmania | Macquarie Island Nature Reserve (2000) | 74 715 | Protect biological diversity |
| New South Wales (13 in total) |
Solitary Islands Marine Park (1997) (previously a Marine Reserve of 85,000 ha) Jervis Bay Marine Park (1998) Lord Howe Island Marine Park (State waters) (1998) |
42 000 21 450 48 000 |
Protect biodiversity, sub-tidal reefs, soft substrates and open ocean ecosystems Conserve biological diversity and protect representative areas Conserve biodiversity and protect representative areas |
| Queensland | Kinkuna Fish Habitat Area Burdekin Fish Habitat Area |
77491 985 |
Sources: CAPAD (1997) and recent survey for Environment Australia (2000).
Benefits of marine reserves
The Tasmanian Government declared the Maria Island Marine Nature Reserve in 1991. It extends seven kilometres along Maria Island and covers 1500 hectares. It was established to conserve a range of habitats typical of the Tasmanian east coast, including small areas of rocky reef with large underwater caves, sandstone reefs, kelp forests and seagrass beds.
A scientific monitoring program has been undertaken for this and other reserves (Edgar and Barrett 1999), entailing sampling from a number of sites both inside and outside the reserves immediately before declaration and then annually for five years.
After six years of protection in the Maria Island Marine Nature Reserve, the number of fish species has increased by 5%, while it fell by 23% in unprotected areas. The new species included Bastard Trumpeter, Ling and Draughtboard Shark, which are species targeted by fishers. The diversity of mobile invertebrates and algae has also increased within the marine reserve.
The numbers of large fish have increased by over 240% in the Reserve. Rock lobster abundance and size also increased.
A review of the global literature on reserves for use in fisheries management (Ward et al. 2001) concluded that, for many fisheries, and when integrated with the existing management practices, no-take sanctuaries would be highly likely to make an important contribution to modern fisheries management systems where environmental issues were also considered to be important. Sanctuaries were considered to offer a range of benefits to fully and over-exploited fisheries, as well as for biodiversity conservation more broadly.
Summary
Marine management is clearly progressing with Australia's Oceans Policy in place and a number of initiatives flowing from it. The fragmented nature of coastal zone management still leads to the 'tyranny of small decisions'. There is now a need for a corresponding coastal and estuarine policy to further improve coastal zone management.
Australia has made good progress towards achieving conservation of biodiversity through establishing Marine Protected Areas since 1996, and with the introduction of new legislation to improve the sustainability of fisheries.
The establishment of an NRSMPA has been an important issue for Australia since 1992. Increased funding allocated in 1997 from the Natural Heritage Trust has resulted in greater progress in achieving the program's goal. However, there is still a need at all levels of government for collaboration to manage and conserve marine biodiversity to achieve national commitments for ecologically sustainable use of resources and the conservation of species and habitats.
While many elements of policy are in place, the next challenge is to implement and then monitor the outcomes of the policies to ensure the ecologically sustainable use of the marine environment actually occurs and results in maintained or improved conditions.