Macquarie Island isn’t just a windswept rock halfway to Antarctica. It’s a globally unique home to dozens of bird and marine mammal species, hence the government’s plans to give it greater protection.
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Articles on Marine parks
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Australia’s protected areas have grown and grown. But at the same time, ecosystems are falling apart. How can that be?
Traditional ecological and cultural wisdom was embraced and valued, enhancing Western scientific knowledge of a beautiful, fragile marine area.
Strictly enforced no-take marine areas benefit everyone, from the fish to fishers.
With strategic planning, the marine protected area network could be a third smaller, cost half as much, and still meet the international target of protecting 10% of every ecosystem.
The overwhelming majority of recreational fishers support no-fishing marine sanctuaries.
Banning fishing in no-take marine reserves on the Great Barrier Reef does not protect sharks as well as received wisdom would tell you.
Snorkeling off the California coast, a high school student found heaps of golf balls on the ocean floor. With a marine scientist, she showed that golf courses were producing tons of plastic pollution.
Beginning on Saturday, West Australia’s short, intense abalone season will be open for a total of four hours.
The New South Wales government has turned its back on plans to create sanctuary zones covering 2.4% of waters around Sydney, despite evidence that these ‘no-take’ areas are crucial for protecting fish.
The world has some 500 million square kilometres of ocean. But just 55 million square kilometres remain untouched by intensive human activities such as fishing.
Australia was thought to have some of the most sustainable fisheries in the world, but a recent count has found that fish numbers have plummeted by a third.
Australia is among nations calling for a 1 million square km marine park off East Antarctica. But Russia and China remain opposed, and a recent summit yet again failed to seal the deal.
Is Australia undervaluing its most valuable natural asset by only charging $6.50 a day to visit the Great Barrier Reef? And would it help if tourists were asked to pay more?
The history of fisheries exploitation in Australia reveals a staggering natural bounty, which has been alarmingly fragile without proper management.
Australia’s reputation as a global leader in marine conservation is being put at risk by plans to strip back sanctuary areas within marine parks, say scientists from around the globe.
The government aims to dramatically reduce the areas offered full protection and expand zones where fishing is allowed, while also claiming that this will still deliver good conservation.
After years of stalled negotiations, China has ended its opposition to the world’s largest marine park off Antarctica - part of a wider trend towards increased Chinese involvement in global governance.
Australia’s oceans would be less protected under recent recommendations.
Many of the iconic coastal villages of Australia have a close association with professional fishing.
Top contributors
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Professor of Marine Ecology, University of Technology Sydney
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Professor, The University of Queensland
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Professor & Director, Marine Futures Lab, The University of Western Australia
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Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Wollongong
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Research Fellow, The University of Western Australia
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Distinguished Professor of Marine Science, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
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Professor, Conservation Planning, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University
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Adjunct Professor, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania
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Honorary Fellow, CSIRO
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Winthrop Professor, Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia
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Honorary Research Fellow, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University
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Professor in Marine Science, Curtin University
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Professor and Head of School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney
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Professor, The University of Queensland
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Research Associate, Curtin University
