The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park protects a large part of Australia's Great Barrier Reef from damaging activities. It is a vast multiple-use Marine Park which supports a wide range of uses, including commercial marine tourism, fishing, ports and shipping, recreation, scientific research and Indigenous traditional use. Fishing and the removal of artefacts or wildlife (fish, coral, seashells, etc.) is strictly regulated, and commercial shipping traffic must stick to certain specific defined shipping routes that avoid the most sensitive areas of the park. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest and best known coral reef ecosystem in the world. Its reefs, almost 3000 in total, represent about 10 per cent of all the coral reef areas in the world. It supports an amazing variety of biodiversity, providing a home to thousands of coral and other invertebrate species, bony fish, sharks, rays, marine mammals, marine turtles, sea snakes, as well as algae and other marine plants.[2]
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) is responsible for the care and protection of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. It uses a range of tools to manage the marine park including Acts and Regulations, zoning plan, plans of management, traditional owner agreements, partnerships, stewardship and best practice, education, research and monitoring and reporting. It issues permits for various forms of use of the marine park, and monitors usage in the park to ensure compliance with rules and regulations associated with the park. GBRMPA is funded by Commonwealth Government appropriations and an environmental management charge levied on the permit-holders' passengers. Currently this is A$6.00 per day per passenger (to a maximum of $16.50 per trip).[3]
In May 2022 the Darumbal people were officially recognised as the traditional custodians of an expanse of ocean covering 36,606km2 (14,134sqmi) off the Central Queensland Coast, making it the largest Traditional Use of Marine Resources Agreement (TUMRA) on the reef. The agreement created a partnership with GBRMPA and Queensland's Department of Environment and Science. The occasion was marked by a ceremony on the beach at Emu Park.[4]
Description
Extent
Map of The Great Barrier Reef Region, World Heritage Area and Marine Park, 2014
The marine park lies east of the mainland coast of Queensland, starting in the north at Cape York. Its northern boundary is the circle of latitude 10°41'S (running east up to the eastern edge of the Great Barrier Reef at 145º19'33"E),[5] thereby encompassing those few uninhabited Torres Strait Islands that are east of Cape York, south of 10°41'S and north of 11°00'S. The largest of those island are Albany Island (5.9km2 or 2.3sqmi), Turtle Head Island12.8km2 or 4.9sqmi and Trochus Island2.2km2 or 0.85sqmi. Further islands are Mai Island 0.25km2 or 0.097sqmi, Bush Island 0.2km2 or 0.077sqmi, Tree Islet 0.01km2 or 0.0039sqmi, Brewis Island 0.05km2 or 0.019sqmi, and a few unnamed islets.
IUCN Category Ia with an area of 859 square kilometres (332sqmi) being about 0.2% of the marine park's area,
IUCN Category II with an area of 114,309 square kilometres (44,135sqmi) being about 33%,
IUCN Category IV with an area of 15,027 square kilometres (5,802sqmi) being about 4% and
IUCN Category VI with an area of 213,769 square kilometres (82,537sqmi) being about 62%.
History
In 1975, the Government of Australia enacted the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975, which created the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, and defined what acts were prohibited on the Reef.[6]Joe Baker, who was involved in the bid to make the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage-listed in 1981, was a founding member of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.[7]
The Australian Government also has recognised the ecological significance of this Park by its inclusion in the nation's Biodiversity Action Plan.[8] The Government of Australia manages the reef through the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and in partnership with the Government of Queensland, to ensure that it is widely understood and used in a sustainable manner. A combination of zoning, management plans, permits, education and incentives (such as eco-tourism certification) is used in the effort to conserve the Great Barrier Reef.
As many species of the Great Barrier Reef are migratory, many international, national, and interstate conventions or pieces of legislation must be taken into account when strategies for conservation are made.[9]
Some international conventions that the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park must follow are: the Bonn Convention, Ramsar Site (for the Bowling Green Bay National Park site), CITES, JAMBA and CAMBA. Some national legislation that the Park must follow are: Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, National Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development, National Strategy for the Conservation of Australia's Biological Diversity, Australia's Oceans Policy, National Strategy for the Conservation of Australian Species and Communities Threatened with Extinction. Some state legislation that the Park must follow are: Nature Conservation Act 1992, Marine Parks Act 1982, Fisheries Act 1994, Queensland Nature Conservation (Wildlife) Regulation 1994.
For example, the Queensland Government has enacted several plans attempting to regulate fishing. The East Coast Trawl Management Plan 1999 aimed to regulate trawling through limiting the times when trawling is permitted and restricting gear used.[10] The Fisheries (Coral Reef Fin Fish Fishery) Management Plan 2003 aimed at reducing the annual commercial catch to 1996 levels, disallowing fishing when the fish are spawning and increasing the minimum legal size of fish.[11]
The Great Barrier Reef was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981.[12] Up until 1999, there were four main zones in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. They were the "Far Northern", "Cairns", "Central" and "Mackay/Capricorn" sections. These zoning sections were created between 1983 and 1987. Another section, the "Gumoo Woojabuddee" section was declared in 1998. Each section had its own zoning plan. The Great Barrier Marine Park Zoning Plan 2003 superseded all previous zoning plans, coming into effect on 1 July 2004.[13]
In July 2004, a new zoning plan was brought into effect for the entire Marine Park, and has been widely acclaimed as a new global benchmark for the conservation of marine ecosystems.[14] The rezoning was based on the application of systematic conservation planning techniques, using the MARXAN software.[15] On 1 July 2004 the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park became the largest protected sea area in the world when the Australian Government increased the areas protected from extractive activities (such as fishing) from 4.6% to 33.3% of the park.[16]As of 2006[update], the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National Monument is the largest protected marine area in the world. The management committee draws inspiration from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority's management strategies.[17]
The current method of zoning is called the "Representative Areas Program", which chooses "typical" areas of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. They can then be protected in "Green Zones" (no-take zones).[18] The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area has been divided into 70 bioregions,[19] of which 30 are reef bioregions,[20] and 40 are non-reef bioregions.[21]
In 2006, a review was undertaken of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975. Some recommendations of the review are that there should be no further zoning plan changes until 2013, and that every five years, a peer-reviewed Outlook Report should be published, examining the health of the Great Barrier Reef, the management of the Reef, and environmental pressures.[22][23]
In early 2007, GBRMPA was one of three nominees for the Destination Award in the World Travel and Tourism Council's Tourism for Tomorrow Awards.[24]
In 2012, legislation was introduced which compelled developers to deposit money into the Reef Trust. Professor Tiffany Morrison argues that this has made it easier for developments to be approved in the region.[26]
The week before 21 July 2013, on the second day of the biennial joint training exercise Talisman Saber, two American AV-8B Harrier fighter jets launched from aircraft carrier USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) dropped four bombs, weighing a total 1.8 metric tons (4,000 pounds), into more than 50 metres (164ft) of water. None exploded and no coral was damaged.[27]
People such as scientists, conservationists, developers, managers, tourism entrepreneurs and politicians have had major influences on the history of the reef[28] In 2015, the Australian Government and Reef Ecologic Pty Ltd conducted a coral reef training course to build capacity to protect coral reefs[29][30]
The crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci), while native to the reef, poses one of its greatest threats when outbreaks occur.[31] Several efforts have been made to identify and control these outbreaks, including the COTSBot developed by Queensland University of Technology.[32]
These outbreaks and subsequent threats have led to an increase in awareness and appearances in mainstream media, as industry and conservation groups try to control the COTS and protect the reef. An infographic explaining the process of identifying and targeting this threat can be seen here.[33]
Outlook for the Reef
The Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report 2014,[34] published every five years, examines the Great Barrier Reef's health, pressures, and likely future.
The report is required under Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 (section 54) and aims to provide a regular and reliable means of assessing reef health and management in an accountable and transparent way.
The report finds the greatest risks to the Reef are still climate change, land-based run-off, coastal development, some fishing impacts, illegal fishing and poaching.
Associated protected areas
The Great Barrier Reef Coast Marine Park is a marine protected area located in Queensland waters adjoining the Great Barrier Reef. It was created on 5 November 2004 by the amalgamation of the following former marine parks – the Mackay/Capricorn Marine Park, the Townville/Whitsunday Marine Park, the Trinity Inlet/ Marlin Coast Marine Park and the Cairns Marine Park, along with the addition of previously unprotected area of coastal water that adjoined the former marine parks listed above. The marine park is intended to complement the adjoining GBRMP by the use of "similar zone objectives, and entry and use provisions". It is managed by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.[35][36][37]
Protected areas of Australia include Commonwealth and off-shore protected areas managed by the Australian government, as well as protected areas within each of the six states of Australia and two self-governing territories, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory, which are managed by the eight state and territory governments.
The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system, composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,300 kilometres (1,400 mi) over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres (133,000 sq mi). The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia, separated from the coast by a channel 160 kilometres (100 mi) wide in places and over 61 metres (200 ft) deep. The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from outer space and is the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms. This reef structure is composed of and built by billions of tiny organisms, known as coral polyps. It supports a wide diversity of life and was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981. CNN labelled it one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World in 1997. Australian World Heritage places included it in its list in 2007. The Queensland National Trust named it a state icon of Queensland in 2006.
Halifax Bay Wetlands is a national park at Halifax Bay in Queensland, Australia, 1179 km northwest of Brisbane.
A marine park is a designated park consisting of an area of sea set aside to achieve ecological sustainability, promote marine awareness and understanding, enable marine recreational activities, and provide benefits for Indigenous peoples and coastal communities. Most marine parks are managed by national governments, and organized like 'watery' national parks, whereas marine protected areas and marine reserves are often managed by a subnational entity or non-governmental organization, such as a conservation authority.
The Coral Sea is a marginal sea of the South Pacific off the northeast coast of Australia, and classified as an interim Australian bioregion. The Coral Sea extends 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) down the Australian northeast coast. Most of it is protected by the French Natural Park of the Coral Sea and the Australian Coral Sea Marine Park. The sea was the location for the Battle of the Coral Sea, a major confrontation during World War II between the navies of the Empire of Japan, and the United States and Australia.
Marine protected areas (MPAs) are protected areas of the world's seas, oceans, estuaries or in the US, the Great Lakes. These marine areas can come in many forms ranging from wildlife refuges to research facilities. MPAs restrict human activity for a conservation purpose, typically to protect natural or cultural resources. Such marine resources are protected by local, state, territorial, native, regional, national, or international authorities and differ substantially among and between nations. This variation includes different limitations on development, fishing practices, fishing seasons and catch limits, moorings and bans on removing or disrupting marine life. MPAs can provide economic benefits by supporting the fishing industry through the revival of fish stocks, as well as job creation and other market benefits via ecotourism. The value of MPA to mobile species is unknown.
Barber Island is a tiny island just south of Great Palm Island, part of the Palm Islands group in Queensland, Australia. The Aboriginal name for this island is Boodthean. Barber Island is one of the ten islands in the local government area of the Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council.
Mitirinchi Island National Park is a national park including all of Quoin Island in the Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia. It is within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. It is 1,942 kilometres (1,207 mi)northwest of Brisbane. It is approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) east of Weymouth Bay and 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of Lockhart River.
The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM) is a World Heritage listed U.S. National Monument encompassing 583,000 square miles (1,510,000 km2) of ocean waters, including ten islands and atolls of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. It was created in June 2006 with 140,000 square miles (360,000 km2) and expanded in August 2016 by moving its border to the limit of the exclusive economic zone, making it one of the world's largest protected areas. It is internationally known for its cultural and natural values as follows:
The area has deep cosmological and traditional significance for living Native Hawaiian culture, as an ancestral environment, as an embodiment of the Hawaiian concept of kinship between people and the natural world, and as the place where it is believed that life originates and to where the spirits return after death. On two of the islands, Nihoa and Mokumanamana, there are archaeological remains relating to pre-European settlement and use. Much of the monument is made up of pelagic and deepwater habitats, with notable features such as seamounts and submerged banks, extensive coral reefs and lagoons.
The Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) is an Australian environmental not-for-profit organisation. It was founded in 1965 as the Queensland Littoral Society before changing its name to the Australian Littoral Society and then finally in 1995 to its current title. It works on protecting the health and vitality of Australia's coasts and oceans.
Reef HQ is the world's largest living coral reef aquarium. It is located in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. The aquarium was built as a Bicentennial Commemorative project and is a part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA). The Coral Reef Exhibit has 130 coral species and 120 fish species along with hundreds of species of sea stars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, brittle stars, feather stars, snails, worms and sponges.
The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest reef systems, stretching along the East coast of Australia from the northern tip down at Cape York to the town of Bundaberg, is composed of roughly 2,900 individual reefs and 940 islands and cays that stretch for 2,300 kilometres (1,616 mi) and cover an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres (133,000 sq mi). The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland in northeast Australia. A large part of the reef is protected by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
Cape Grenville, is a small, east-facing promontory along the Queensland, Australia coast of Cape York Peninsula. It lies between Shelburne Bay to the north and Temple Bay to the south. The nearest significant settlement is Weipa, along the western coast of Cape York.
Albino Rock, formerly White Rock, is an islet east of Great Palm Island, part of the Greater Palm group in Queensland, Australia. The island is in the Hinchinbrook jurisdiction, and is part of Orpheus Island National Park.
Cape Byron Marine Park is one of four marine parks in New South Wales, Australia, and is the most recently sanctioned. The Cape Byron Marine Park is located in Northern NSW and extends 37 kilometres (23 mi) from the Brunswick River to Lennox Head. The marine park extends out to 3 nautical miles which dictates the border between state and federal jurisdiction. The marine park covers an area of 220 square kilometres (85 sq mi) and includes a variety of marine terrain including beaches, rocky shores, open ocean and the tidal waters of the Brunswick River and its tributaries, the Belongil Creek and Tallow Creek. The Cape Byron Marine Park was declared in 2002 and the zoning plan was implemented in April 2006. Of the 15 distinct marine ecosystems identified within the Tweed-Moreton bioregion, the Cape Byron Marine Park supports 10 of these.
Tourism is one of the major industries in the Great Barrier Reef region. Approximately 2.19 million people visit the Great Barrier Reef each year. According to the WWF, tourism of the area contributes $5.89 billion a year to the Australian economy, and employs approximately 69,000 people. Ove Hoegh-Guldberg sees the key competitive advantage of the Great Barrier Reef as opposed to other, closer, reef tourism destinations is the region's reputation as being "the most pristine coral reef on the planet". The GBRMPA states that careful management, which includes permits for camping and all commercial marine tourism within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, seeks to ensure that tourists have minimal impact on the reef. However, rising incidences of widespread coral bleaching, coastal development, and tourism impacts have taken a toll the biodiversity of the reef.
Australian marine parks are marine protected areas located within Australian waters and are managed by the Australian government. These waters generally extend from three nautical miles off the coast to the outer limit of Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone at 200 nautical miles while marine protected areas located closer in-shore are the responsibility of the states or the Northern Territory.
The Coral Sea Marine Park is an Australian marine park located in the Coral Sea off the coast of Queensland. The marine park covers an area of 989,836 km2 (382,178 sq mi) and is assigned IUCN category IV. It is Australia's largest single marine park and together with the French Natural Park of the Coral Sea form the largest protected area in the World.
The Gulf of Carpentaria Marine Park is an Australian marine park in the Gulf of Carpentaria, offshore of Queensland and north of Mornington Island. The marine park covers an area of 23,771 km2 (9,178 sq mi) and is assigned IUCN category VI. It is one of 8 parks managed under the North Marine Parks Network.
The Cartier Island Marine Park is an Australian marine park that covers the Cartier Island and reef surrounds, about 610 km (380 mi) north of Broome, Western Australia. The marine park covers an area of 172 km2 (66 sq mi) and is assigned IUCN category Ia. It is one of the 13 parks managed under the North-west Marine Parks Network.
↑ Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (2009). "Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report 2009"(PDF). Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Archived(PDF) from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
↑ The State of Queensland (Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries) (2004). Queensland East Coast Trawl Fishery Annual Status Report [online PDF]. Available: "Archived copy"(PDF). Archived from the original(PDF) on 23 August 2006. Retrieved 18 June 2006.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) [Access date: 9 June 2006]
↑ The State of Queensland (Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries) (unknown date). Coral Reef Fin Fish Fishery Management Plan – A summary [online]. Available: "Coral Reef Fin Fish Fishery Management Plan - A summary". Archived from the original on 21 August 2006. Retrieved 18 June 2006. [Access date: 28 May 2006]
↑ UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (1980). World Heritage Sites – Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area [online]. Available: "UNEP-WCMC Protected Areas Programme - Great Barrier Reef". Archived from the original on 15 January 2006. Retrieved 10 June 2006. [Access date: 10 June 2006]
↑ Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (2003). "Zoning Plan 2003"(PDF). Archived from the original(PDF) on 11 October 2006. Retrieved 2 October 2006.
↑ Fernandes et al. (2005) Establishing representative no-take areas in the Great Barrier Reef: large-scale implementation of theory on marine protected areas, Conservation Biology, 19(6), 1733–1744.
↑ Environment News Service – International Daily Newswire (2004). Fish Boats Barred From One-Third of Great Barrier Reef [online]. Available: "Environment News Service (ENS)". Archived from the original on 21 June 2006. Retrieved 18 June 2006. [Access date: 28 May 2006]
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