Parks Australia is committed to delivering world’s best-practice management for Australian Marine Parks and communicating effectively with stakeholders on how we achieve this. This page provides resources to assist stakeholders to understand their obligations under management plans, and to clarify the factors the Director of National Parks must take into account when making decisions.

Australian Marine Park resources will generally be issued in one of the following formats: strategies, policies, guidelines and factsheets (see further information below). These resources assist in the implementation of Australian Marine Parks management plans and align with the seven management programs Parks Australia implements to manage marine parks.

Management plans set out our approach to managing marine parks. There are six management plans – one for each of the five marine park networks (the North, North-west, South-west, South-east and Temperate East networks) and one for the Coral Sea Marine Park.

Regulatory resources

Strategies

Strategies provide high-level advice regarding the approach Parks Australia will take to delivering legislative obligations.

• Environmental Incident and Emergency Response Strategy
  This Strategy supports the Director of National Parks’ response to serious or critical environmental incidents and emergencies in and adjacent to Australian Marine Parks (AMPs).  In such an event, the DNP seeks to prevent or minimise impacts on marine park values (natural, cultural, heritage, social and economic), users and staff.

Policies

Policies outline the normal practice of Parks Australia when exercising its decision-making powers.

• Australian Marine Parks Assessment and Authorisations Policy
  This policy outlines the approach that the Director of National Parks will take when assessing and making decisions in relation to authorising activities in Australian Marine Parks. This policy will ensure assessment and authorisation requirements are clearly articulated and that decision making is lawful, robust, consistently applied in relation to Australian Marine Parks.
• Australian Marine Parks Mooring Policy
  This policy outlines how the Director of National Parks will implement requirements in Australian Marine Park management plans for the authorisation, installation, maintenance and use of private and public moorings. The policy seeks to ensure that moorings support ecologically sustainable use, safe and equitable access opportunities for park users, and minimise impacts on the natural, cultural and heritage values of Australian Marine Parks.

Guidelines

Guidelines provide specific information and advice regarding management issues.

• Australian Marine Parks Guideline - For the authorisation of commercial tourism and general use activities on islands in the Coral Sea, Ashmore Reef and Cartier Island Marine Parks
  This Guideline outlines the approach and additional considerations that Parks Australia will follow when assessing authorisation applications for commercial tourism and general use activities on and adjacent to islands in the Coral Sea, Ashmore Reef and Cartier Island Marine Parks including commercial aviation tours, recreational drone use and access to islands in those parks.

Factsheets

Factsheets provide clear and straightforward information across a range of management programs.

• North Marine Parks Network Management Plan
• North-west Network Management Plan
• South-west Network Management Plan
• Temperate-east Network Management Plan
• Coral Sea Marine Park Management Plan
• Lord Howe Marine Park Management Plan
• Commercial tourism
• Commercial fishing

Other resources

Maps

Maps of the Australian Marine Parks are available here.

Scientific publications

Check out our Australian Marine Parks scientific publications, a growing collection of:

• reports
• journal articles
• multimedia
• posters
• other publications.

Some items listed may be restricted due to publisher copyright conditions.

Further information

• Information on public consultation on the development of management plans for Australian Marine Parks can be found here.
• Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) independent advice on how management plan zoning will affect commercial fishers.
• Regulation Impact Statement which describes the impacts of implementing the management plans for 44 marine parks and has been assessed by the Office of Best Practice Management.
• The Independent Commonwealth Marine Reserves Review was undertaken in 2016 and documents the experiences of those managing Australian and international marine parks.

Feedback

Parks Australia welcomes feedback on published resources, which can be made by emailing marineparks@dcceew.gov.au.