New Marine Park Designation for Western Australia’s Great Southern Reef and Salisbury Island Hope Spots

November 18, 2024

Cover image © Stefan Andrews

Western Australia, November 5, 2024 – After over 30 years of advocacy and three years of consultation, the South Coast Marine Park is now a reality. Spanning 1,000 kilometers of Western Australia’s southern coastline, the new marine park encompasses two Mission Blue Hope Spots.

Australia’s Great Southern Reef, a vast network of interconnected marine ecosystems, is home to thousands of unique marine species, including marine mammals, sharks, kelp forests and many invertebrates. This is the first sanctuary protection for the ecologically rich environment of the southern coastline of Western Australia.

The new protected area includes four interconnected marine parks—Mamang Maambakoort, Wudjari, Western Bight, and Mirning—jointly managed with Traditional Owners. This co-management model ensures conservation efforts respect both traditional knowledge and modern science, and honor the deep cultural environmental ties of Indigenous communities to these waters.

“An ounce of prevention is worth a tonne of cure, so to see this incredibly diverse and pristine stretch of the Great Southern Reef protected is a huge win for Australia’s kelp forests,” said Dr. Sahira Bell, Hope Spot Champion and Co-founder of the Great Southern Reef Foundation (GSRF).

Both the Great Southern Reef and Salisbury Island are recognized as Mission Blue Hope Spots, celebrated for their exceptional biodiversity and resilience. Salisbury Island has received 100% no-take marine sanctuary protection as part of this designation, which is excellent news for the region.

The park’s designation follows years of public consultation, including tens of thousands of letters from concerned Australians calling for stronger protections, and work by local conservationists and scientists. This park’s creation demonstrates the power of public engagement in shaping environmental outcomes.

Stefan Andrews, Co-founder of the GSRF, added, “Through the Foundation’s storytelling and films, we’ve had the privilege of capturing this remarkable stretch of coast. We hope that with this new protection, even more members of the community will be motivated to experience it for themselves.”

The park will support sustainable activities such as managed fishing, tourism, diving, and boating. Twenty percent of the South Coast Marine Park’s waters are established as No-Take Sanctuary Zones to safeguard ecologically significant habitats, with boundaries designed to balance protection with responsible use.

Dr. Scott Bennett, the third Co-founder of the GSRF, emphasized, “We welcome the announcement of the South Coast Marine Park. This is an exciting opportunity to explore, understand, and safeguard the diverse marine life on Western Australia’s south coast into the future.”

“The Great Southern Reef is a fantastic example of how the natural world can thrive when we leave it alone,” said Dr. Sylvia Earle, Founder of Mission Blue. “However, much remains unknown about the life on this magnificent temperate reef. We must recognize our lack of knowledge so we can forge ahead and do everything possible to learn more and protect it.”

The South Coast Marine Park will be fully operational by late 2026, marking the beginning of a new era of conservation for Western Australia’s marine life. Explore the new park boundaries via the interactive map available here.