Better protection for 1.4m sq km of Western Australia marine parks

Narelle Towie, Perth Now 19 May 09;

AN underwater wonderland spanning 1.3 million square km from Kalbarri to Kangaroo Island in South Australia may soon be better protected under government re-zoning plans.

A map detailing coastal areas that may be re-classified as marine parks has been released by the federal government.

Currently less than 1 per cent of WA’s coastline, which is home to an abundance of unique species endemic to the state, is protected by law.

At a meeting in Perth yesterday, environment and fisheries officials meet with conservation groups and industry to deliberate over re-zoning plans.

The new map could see a network of marine parks – afforded full environmental protection – spring up along the WA coast.

WWF’s senior policy for officer oceans and coasts Paul Gamblin said 650,000 sq/km of south-west coastline has been mapped by the government for better protection.

“The areas that they have nominated are broad areas of interest that range from deep water features such as the Perth canyon, which is deep water trench where blue whales track, to shallow waters such as coral reefs and sea-grass meadows,” Mr Gamblin said.

“We think that this is of international importance and the government have a once in lifetime opportunity to get it right,” he said.

At the start of this month an international team of scientists from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) warned that WA’s marine species face extinction if they were not better protected.

Studies on features in the region will be used to determine those areas which should be classed as marine parks and those where mining and other potentially harmful activities will be allowed.

The process stands to affect a range of industry including fisherman.

Piers Verstegen of the Conservation Council of WA for the Save our Marine Life alliance said that a far greater level of unique marine life lives in the area being considered than at the Great Barrier Reef.

“It is recognised world-wide and here in Australia that valuable fish stocks are in decline. If our unique marine life and industries are to be sustainable they need a network of large marine sanctuaries to allow species to recover and avoid extinction,” Mr Verstegen said.

Australia boasts the third largest area of ocean in the world under its care and as a signatory to the UN’s Convention on the Law of the Sea has a global responsibility to manage its marine resources for both economic benefit and conservation.