Establishing a Representative System of Marine Protected Areas in New South Wales, Australia

Andrew Read and Kevin Shanahan

New South Wales Fisheries, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

Theme: TH2

Australian Governments have agreed to establish a National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas. As a framework for establishing the national system, Australian coastal waters have been divided into bioregions. National guidelines have also been developed to assist Governments in establishing marine parks within their respective jurisdictions. How State Governments establish these marine protected areas (MPAs) and contribute to the national system is a matter for State Governments to decide. The New South Wales Government has fully adopted the national guidelines as the basis for establishing MPAs and has developed specialised legislation and supporting policy to enable the integration of marine protected area types, as well as the systematic identification, selection and declaration of new MPAs. Since the enactment of the NSW Marine Parks Act 1997 and amendments to the NSW Fisheries Management Act 1999, several major marine parks and many aquatic reserves have been declared in six marine bioregions. This outstanding performance is the result of strong political commitment and a 'whole of Government' approach. This contribution provides an overview of the NSW approach for establishing a representative system of MPAs, including principles for their identification, selection and management. It also discusses the benefits of multiple-use management, system design (SLOSS issues), and the unique administrative arrangements that have facilitated accelerated declaration of new MPAs in NSW.