10
November 2008 - Minister for the Environment,
Heritage and the Arts Peter Garrett today
launched a comprehensive report on the biodiversity,
ecosystems and social and economic uses
of the oceans of northern Australia.
“The North Marine Bioregional
Profile brings together, for the first time,
the best available information for the North
Marine Region. It consolidates our knowledge
of the unique shallow basin and shelf communities
and habitats of the Arafura and eastern
Timor Seas, including the area’s natural
features and values and the ways in which
we use and enjoy them.
Mr Garrett said the
Australian Government was committed to protecting
the biological diversity of its oceans for
the benefit of current and future generations.
“Marine Profiles such
as this will help to address our lack of
knowledge of ocean biodiversity, especially
the species and ecosystems of the more remote
and deeper areas.
“These information gaps
have presented challenges in developing
effective strategies to manage both the
large and small scale impacts of change
in ocean ecosystems, such as climate change.”
“The Government’s program
of marine bioregional planning is helping
us to better understand and protect the
marine environment, conserve biodiversity
and deliver greater certainty to decision-makers
and the wider community about Australia’s
marine conservation priorities.
“It also assists industries
that rely on the oceans natural resources,
collectively worth billions of dollars each
year to the Australian economy, to better
plan and manage their activities.
“The North Bioregional
Profile is the starting point for developing
a Marine Bioregional Plan for the Region,
which I will be releasing in 2010.
”This is one of five
Plans that together will identify the conservation
values across more than seven million square
kilometres of Australia’s oceans and the
actions we need to take to protect them,
including the areas we will look to include
in the national marine protected area network.
“No-where else in the
world is marine conservation planning being
undertaken at this scale and in this timeframe.”
Australia’s existing
marine protected area estate, covering some
88 million hectares, is already among the
largest in the world.
“With the assistance
and involvement of all stakeholders, I believe
that bioregional planning can set a global
standard in marine planning and management.”
The North Marine Region
includes Commonwealth waters stretching
from the Northern Territory/Western Australian
border in the west, to the Torres Strait
in the east, including the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Commonwealth waters
extend from three nautical miles offshore
out to the limit of Australia’s Exclusive
Economic Zone, some 200 nautical miles offshore.
The North Marine Region
The North Marine Bioregional Profile can
be downloaded at: http://www.environment.gov.au/coasts/mbp/north/index.html
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North-West Marine Profile
to underpin planning process
10 November 2008 - The
release of a comprehensive profile of Australia's
North-west Marine Region is the first step
in the marine planning process for one of
our most environmentally sensitive and economically
important ocean areas, Minister for the
Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
Peter Garrett said today.
Mr Garrett said today's
release of the North-west Marine Bioregional
Profile completed the first milestone in
the planning process, which will culminate
within two years with a Marine Bioregional
Plan including a network of Marine Protected
Areas.
"The North-west
Bioregional Profile consolidates the best
and latest environmental information on
this vast area that includes Commonwealth
waters stretching from west of Kalbarri,
south of Shark Bay on the Western Australian
coast, around the north-west corner of Australia
to the Northern Territory border,"
Mr Garrett said.
"This body of work
will be crucial as we plan for greater protection
of marine biodiversity in a region characterised
by sub-tropical and tropical ecosystems
and iconic creatures including turtles,
dugongs and the famous Ningaloo whale sharks."
"Marine Bioregional
Planning will help ensure that national
economic assets such as the oil and gas
and commercial fishing industries can prosper
and that the impact of any conservation
measures on them are minimised."
The North-west Marine
Region accounts for 67 per cent of Australia's
oil and condensate production (2006-07 value
of $16.4 billion) and 69 per cent of its
gas reserves. It also features 16 commercial
fisheries in offshore, Commonwealth waters
and a further 15 fisheries in state waters.
In 2005-06, the finfish, prawn and crab
industries associated with the region were
valued at around $42 million.
"Protecting this
rich and diverse Marine Region is valuable
not only for Australia's environmental sustainability,
but for our economic development into the
future. The North-west Marine Bioregional
Profile, ensures we have an information
base upon which to make environmental decisions
and set priorities for management,"
Mr Garrett said.
"The North-west
Marine Region already has in place four
important Commonwealth marine reserves,
which play a vital role in protecting resources
and biodiversity in these waters. The Australian
Government and stakeholders, including the
indigenous community, now have the data
to begin discussions on the shape of a network
of Marine Protected Areas in Commonwealth
waters that truly represents the biodiversity
of this region."
Mr Garrett said he aimed
to release a Marine Bioregional Plan for
the region in mid 2010.
The North-west marine region
More information on the North-west Marine
Bioregional Profilecan be found at www.environment.gov.au/coasts/mbp/north-west
