Australian Marine Parks

Department of the Environment and Heritage, 2006.

Download

About the brochure

In 2005 the Australian Government brought its programme of regional marine planning directly under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) – one of the most comprehensive pieces of environmental legislation in operation anywhere in the world.

The plans will be known as Marine Bioregional Plans to reflect the part of the EPBC Act under which they will be established.

This initiative gives new impetus for the implementation of Australia’s Oceans Policy by streamlining the planning process and providing greater guidance about marine environment conservation priorities.

The process includes the identification and establishment of marine protected areas (MPAs) in the Commonwealth managed waters around Australia (which excludes the coastal waters managed by the States and Northern Territory).