Founded | 2008 |
---|---|
Focus | Conservation |
Location | |
Area served | Australia |
Method | Lobbying, Research, Activism |
Website | Save Our Marine Life official website |
Save Our Marine Life (SOML) is an Australian not-for-profit, non-governmental environmental advocacy alliance working to protect and secure Australia's marine life. It is a collaboration of 29 non-profit conservation organisations, both Australian and international. SOML was initially founded in 2008 to raise awareness of the need for the Australian Government to establish a network of large marine sanctuaries in the country's South West marine region. [1] [2] In 2010 SOML became a national campaign in order to drive the completion of Australia's National Network of Marine Parks.
As a result of the SOML campaign and the long-standing Australian Government NRSMPA program (National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas) in 2012 the Gillard Labor Government declared 44 new federal marine parks in the South-west, North-west, North, Coral Sea and Temperate East marine regions, bringing Australia's federal marine park total to 60, covering a total area of 3.3million square kilometers (36% of Australia's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)) - the largest marine parks network in the world.
In December 2013 the incoming Abbott Coalition Government suspended the operation of the 44 new parks before they could commence operation (which was scheduled for July 2014), and commenced an independent review. That review provided its findings to the then Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt in December 2015. The findings were released to the public in September 2016. Whilst endorsing the process undertaken by previous governments to develop the 44 marine parks, the Review recommended changes to zoning in a number of the new parks.
In September 2016 the Turnbull Coalition Government commenced a further public consultation process to develop new management plans for the marine parks in order to change the zoning. In March 2018 the revised management plans were tabled in the Australian Parliament for consideration. Changes to the original 2012 zoning in the parks included removal of almost half the high level protective green ‘sanctuary’ zoning across the network - an area almost twice the size of the state of Victoria and equivalent in area to the loss of half of Australia's national parks on land - the biggest single windback of conservation area in Australia's history.
The alliance groups include:
The creation of the national network crossed political divides and received bi-partisan political support. It was initiated by John Howard's Coalition Government in 1998, and finalised by the federal Labor Government in 2012. In 2014 the Abbott Coalition Government suspended the parks from operation pending a review.
On 1 July 2018 the 44 federal/Commonwealth waters parks created in 2012 commenced operation with revised zoning amidst great concern at the loss of almost half the highly protective green zoning.
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 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 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.
Protected areas of South Australia consists of protected areas located within South Australia and its immediate onshore waters and which are managed by South Australian Government agencies. As of March 2018, South Australia contains 359 separate protected areas declared under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972, the Crown Land Management Act 2009 and the Wilderness Protection Act 1992 which have a total land area of 211,387.48 km2 (81,617.16 sq mi) or 21.5% of the state's area.
Conservation in Australia is an issue of state and federal policy. Australia is one of the most biologically diverse countries in the world, with a large portion of species endemic to Australia. Preserving this wealth of biodiversity is important for future generations.
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for purposes of conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research. They may be designated by government institutions in some countries, or by private landowners, such as charities and research institutions. Nature reserves fall into different IUCN categories depending on the level of protection afforded by local laws. Normally it is more strictly protected than a nature park. Various jurisdictions may use other terminology, such as ecological protection area or private protected area in legislation and in official titles of the reserves.
Lord Howe Island Marine Park is the site of Australia's and the world's most southern coral reef ecosystem. The island is 10 km in length, 2 km wide and consists of a large lagoonal reef system along its leeward side, with 28 small islets along its coast. In 1999, the waters within three nautical miles of Lord Howe Island (465.45 km2) were declared a marine park under the NSW Marine Park Act 1997 to protect its unique marine biodiversity, with the park currently being managed by the New South Wales Marine Parks Authority. Both Lord Howe Island and Balls Pyramid are incorporated within the three nautical miles protected by the state marine park. Both marine parks complement the island's status as a World Heritage Site.
Protected areas of Canada consist of approximately 12.1 percent of the nation's landmass and freshwater are considered conservation areas, including 11.4 percent designated as protected areas. Approximately 13.8 percent of Canada's territorial waters are conserved, including 8.9 percent designated as protected areas. Terrestrial areas conserved have increased by 65 percent in the 21st century, while marine areas conserved have increased by more than 3,800 percent.
The Ningaloo Coast is a World Heritage Site located in the north west coastal region of Western Australia. The 705,015-hectare (1,742,130-acre) heritage-listed area is located approximately 1,200 kilometres (750 mi) north of Perth, along the East Indian Ocean. The distinctive Ningaloo Reef that fringes the Ningaloo Coast is 260 kilometres (160 mi) long and is Australia's largest fringing coral reef and the only large reef positioned very close to a landmass. The Muiron Islands and Cape Farquhar are within this coastal zone.
The Queensland Conservation Council (QCC) or Queensland Conservation is a non-governmental organisation that represents all the major conservation organisations of Queensland state in Australia. The organisation have been working to protect, conserve and sustain Queensland’s unique natural environment since 1969. The organisation's office is currently located in West End, Brisbane.
The Conservation Council of Western Australia is the umbrella body for conservation groups and organisations in Western Australia. It has been the co-ordinator, publisher and guiding body for issues of woodchipping in the South West of Western Australia, the logging of old growth forests, as well as providing input into government processes involved with all aspects of environmental protection and conservation.
Bird Islands Conservation Park is a 3.69-square-kilometre (1.42 sq mi) protected area in eastern Spencer Gulf, South Australia. It is located at Warburto Point on Yorke Peninsula, about 10 km (6.2 mi) south of the town of Wallaroo. In 1991, land additions were made to the park to include the intertidal zone of both islands. In 1999, a larger, mainland section was added to support mangroves, samphire and coastal fringe vegetation.
The Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPaW) was the department of the Government of Western Australia responsible for managing lands described in the Conservation and Land Management Act 1984 and implementing the state's conservation and environment legislation and regulations. The minister responsible for the department was the Minister for the Environment.
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 Macquarie Island Marine Park is an Australian marine park near Macquarie Island in the southwest Pacific. The marine park covers an area of 162,000 km2 (63,000 sq mi) and is assigned IUCN category IV. It is the largest of the 14 parks managed under the South-east Marine Parks Network. In June 2023, the federal government announced that the park would triple in size, adding an extra 385,000 km2 (149,000 sq mi) of water to the marine park.
Southern Kangaroo Island Marine Park is a marine protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located in state coastal waters adjoining both the south coast of Kangaroo Island and a group of islets located to the south of Kangaroo Island.
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.
The Ningaloo Marine Park is an Australian marine park offshore of Western Australia, and west of the Ningaloo Coast. The marine park covers an area of 2,435 km2 (940 sq mi) and is assigned IUCN category IV. It is one of the 13 parks managed under the North-west Marine Parks Network.
Investigator Marine Park is a marine protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located in the state's coastal waters in its west adjoining the west coast of Eyre Peninsula and islands in the Investigator Group respectively to the south-east and south-west of the town of Elliston.