Download North Commonwealth Marine Reserves network

North Commonwealth Marine Reserves Network
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR MARINE USERS – TRANSITIONAL ARRANGEMENTS
The Commonwealth marine reserves declared in November 2012 are under transitional
arrangements until management plans come into effect in July 2014. Transitional arrangements
involve NO CHANGES ON THE WATER for marine users.
More information is available at www.environment.gov.au/marinereserves
The North Commonwealth Marine Reserves Network protects 157 483 km2 of Australia's marine
area through eight separate reserves.
The reserves will be managed for the primary purpose of conserving the biodiversity found in them,
while also allowing for the sustainable use of natural resources in some areas. The reserves
include a vast range of ecosystems, habitats and biological communities representative of the
North region. The reserves will help ensure our marine environment remains healthy and is more
resilient to the effects of climate change and other pressures.
Conservation values
The North Marine Region is home to a diverse array of species that depend on the warm waters
and its wide range of muddy, sandy, and rocky habitats, including corals, sponges, sea
cucumbers, sea squirts and many different types of sharks and tropical fish. The region also
supports a number of protected species—such as sawfish, dugong, marine turtles and seabirds—
that are threatened by human activities.
One of these threatened species is the flatback turtle which only breeds in northern Australia. The
North Commonwealth Marine Reserves Network protects flatback turtle breeding areas, including
the Commonwealth waters adjacent to the largest flatback turtle rookery in the world on Crab
Island—near the tip of Cape York in the Gulf of Carpentaria.
The reserves also protect important foraging habitats for breeding colonies of migratory
birds, including the common noddy, bridled tern, roseate tern, and the crested tern.
North Commonwealth Marine Reserves Network
Network area
157 483 km2
Depth range
<15 – 500 m
Number of reserves
8 (ranging in size from 1399 to 71 483 km²)
Key conservation
values
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Oceanic Shoals Commonwealth Marine Reserve
Joseph Bonaparte Gulf Commonwealth Marine Reserve
Arafura Commonwealth Marine Reserve
Arnhem Commonwealth Marine Reserve
Wessel Commonwealth Marine Reserve
Limmen Commonwealth Marine Reserve
Gulf of Carpentaria Commonwealth Marine Reserve
West Cape York Commonwealth Marine Reserve
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Important nesting and resting area for threatened marine turtle species
including flatback, hawksbill, green and olive ridley turtles
Important foraging area for breeding colonies of migratory seabirds
Important foraging area for large aggregations of dugongs
Nine key ecological features including submerged coral reefs, the Gulf of
Carpentaria basin, and the carbonate banks, terraces and pinnacles of the
Timor Sea are represented in the marine reserve network.
Four provincial bioregions, 14 meso-scale bioregions, 22 depth ranges
within provincial bioregions, and 15 seafloor types are represented in the
network.
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Type of zones
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Marine National Park Zone (IUCN Category II) – 16 977 km² or 10.78% of
network
Multiple Use Zone (IUCN Category VI) – 112 560 km² or 71.47% of network
General Use Zone (IUCN Category VI)- 16 387 km2 or 10.41% of network
Special Purpose Zone (IUCN Category VI) – 11 560 km² or 7.34% of
network