Protect our marine life. Safeguard our future. Support ocean sanctuaries!
Australia’s oceans are among the most magnificent on the planet, home to more unique marine life than anywhere else. It’s our great responsibility to protect them.
But damaging fishing practices, mining, pollution, and devastating coral bleaching and algal blooms are pushing our oceans and marine life to the brink.
Without proper protection, it could all collapse.
Cutting destructive emissions is crucial. So is creating marine sanctuaries. They help make our fragile ecosystems more resilient to threats such as algal blooms and coral bleaching. Sanctuaries also support tourism, local businesses and fishing into the future.
Every 10 years, the Australian Government reviews our national network of marine parks. Currently, our network falls dangerously short. More than half of our marine parks allow extractive activities such as oil and gas drilling, and damaging fishing practices like bottom trawling. We are not doing enough to stop extinctions and keep our oceans healthy.
We urgently need more marine sanctuaries – the fully protected areas within marine parks where important places can recover and thrive.
We have a once-in-a-decade chance to strengthen marine protections where they are needed most. To succeed, our elected representatives must hear – loud and clear -that Australians back sanctuaries.
Use the form on the right to send a letter to your local MP in support of marine sanctuaries.
Together, we have secured strong protections around Australia’s south-east, Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Macquarie Island and Heard and McDonald Islands. We can do it again.
In the words of Sir David Attenborough:
“If we save the sea, we save our world… Nothing could be more important than that.”
Image: Bob Halstead/OceanwideImages.com
Letter text
You can customise the message using the form on the right or above.
Dear [local member of parliament],
Australia’s big blue backyard is home to vast tropical reefs and lush temperate kelp forests, teeming with more unique marine life than anywhere else on Earth. Yet our oceans are under growing threat from coral bleaching, algal blooms, industrial fishing, pollution and other harmful human-driven impacts.
With more than 85% of Australians living near the coast, and healthy oceans underpinning our lifestyles, livelihoods and economy, protecting this great national heritage is not optional – it is essential.
While it is vital that Australia – and the world – reduces the emissions driving climate change, we must also strengthen the resilience of our oceans to withstand rising global temperatures and other pressures.
One of the best tools we have to address this is marine sanctuaries — the fully protected areas within marine parks. A huge body of scientific evidence shows that sanctuaries lead to more fish, bigger fish and healthier ecosystems. They build resilience to coral bleaching, algal blooms, cyclones, disease and invasive pests, and have a ‘spillover effect’ that replenishes surrounding waters – a win-win for biodiversity and fishing.
While marine parks cover more than half of Australia’s Commonwealth waters, less than one-quarter are safeguarded in marine sanctuaries.
Our sanctuaries are often located in remote offshore areas. This means critical habitats such as shallow coastal waters, canyons, seamounts, and rocky reefs on the continental shelf remain under-protected.
Many of our Commonwealth marine parks are due for their 10-year reviews during this term of government. This gives you a once-in-a-decade opportunity to help expand marine sanctuaries, create new ones and realise Australia’s commitment to include 30% of our waters in sanctuaries by 2030.
To be effective, marine sanctuaries must be in the right places, based on science, and be well-managed and well-funded.
It is also essential that adequate resourcing is provided for First Nations’ engagement and capacity, stakeholder consultation, research, and appropriate structural adjustment for affected commercial fishers. Good management and adequate resourcing are integral to the success of Australia’s marine parks and sanctuaries.
As my elected representative, I urge you to support new and expanded marine sanctuaries as part of the upcoming review of our national network of marine parks. Putting in place increased sanctuary protection based on scientific principles and good consultation will help protect our unique and vulnerable marine life, safeguard our fish nurseries, and secure our Australian lifestyle, livelihoods and economy into the future.
This has also been sent to my state/Territory senators.
Regards,
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Australia has a once-in-a-decade chance to strengthen marine protections and safeguard the ocean for future generations.