May 18, 2012
In November 2011, the Australian government proposed the establishment of the world’s largest marine protected area in the waters of the Coral Sea, off the Eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. The proposed Coral Sea Commonwealth Marine Reserve will cover approximately 385,000 square miles (989,842 square kilometers).
The proposal would forbid oil and gas extraction as well as ban fishing equipment that destroys seafloor habitats. The proposal represents an important step towards proper protection. However, protections need to be stronger. The government’s plan is for a multi-use marine reserve, with only two reefs out of 25 in the Coral Sea set to receive full protection. Higher-level protection is needed to ensure the current levels of biodiversity persist and the fragile ecosystems remain intact long-term.
After introducing the proposal, the Australian Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities had a three-month public submission period, which closed on Feb. 24. During the public consultation period, there were 487,434 submissions on the proposal — 99.9 percent of which called for higher levels of protection than the government’s draft plan.
The Coral Sea is a tropical marine jewel that has been recognized as a Hope Spot, or an area that is critical to the health of the ocean, by Dr. Sylvia Earle. It is rare example of a marine environment that is thriving and that is still home to healthy populations of large predatory fish such as tuna and sharks. Currently less than 1 percent of Australia’s Coral Sea is protected. Without extraordinary protections in place, the beauty and biodiversity of the Coral Sea will diminish over time.
In the next few days, Australia’s Environmental Minister, Tony Burke, is set to make his decision on the establishment of the Coral Sea Commonwealth Marine Reserve. As he prepares to make his decision, we hope to remind him of the massive number of people that want more high-level protection of the Coral Sea. We are calling on all ocean lovers to be blue hope heroes/heroines and make their voices known through Facebook and twitter.
After Tony Burke makes a decision on the Coral Sea, it will have to go to the federal Cabinet before it is publically announced. It is unclear when we will know the final outcome, but Mission Blue will be following the story so check back.
You can help!
We’d love it if you could share this story and info on facebook and then get twittering to Environment Minister @Tony_Burke. You can copy/paste the following or make your own:Pls RT @Tony_Burke: It’s official, 487,435 #CoralSea submissions, 99.9 percent asking you to better protect our Coral Sea
Top Image created by the Australian government to show the proposed Coral Sea Commonwealth Marine Reserve, which the government plans to establish.