The campaign against proposed changes to Australia’s marine park network is gathering weight, with marine science heavyweights from around the world backing a statement of concern about draft management plans. The Government is not planning to shrink park boundaries from those outlined in 2012, but it is planning zoning changes within the boundaries, claiming the […]

Conservationists are outraged over the Federal Government’s draft plans for 44 Australian marine parks, saying it almost halves the protections set five years ago. Under the new proposal, mid-water trawling will be allowed and more areas will be opened to commercial and recreational fishing. Green zones, which offer the highest protection, will be reduced but […]

The number of protected turtles hooked by commercial fishers along Australia’s east coast has jumped tenfold over the past five years, sparking fears for the fate of vulnerable ocean life as the Turnbull government moves to tear up marine sanctuary protections. An analysis of government data has also revealed an increase in the number of […]

He’s already thrown hundreds of millions of dollars towards improvin­g the lives of Aboriginal people, ending the scourge of ­global slavery and finding a cure for cancer. Now billionaire miner and philanthropist Andrew Forrest has a new cause: saving the world’s oceans. Mr Forrest is undertaking a PhD in marine science at the Universit­y of […]

The national network of marine sanctuaries is under threat if draft plans by National Parks are adopted, according to the Save Our Marine Life alliance (SOML). National Parks are calling for feedback on draft plans for the management of 44 Australian marine parks. ‘Australia will become the first nation to cut protections of its ocean estate if it implements […]

CORAL Sea stakeholders have had a mixed reaction to a draft management plan for the marine reserve, which has had its protected areas cut back by more than 75 per cent. The Turnbull Government has finally released its long-awaited plan for the vast marine park, off the Far Northern coastline, which covers 989,842 sq km. […]

When Australia established a vast network of marine reserves in 2012, it was hailed as a major win for conservation. But management plans for the sea havens were suspended a year later. Now, scientists are angry at the Australian government’s release last week of a draft proposal to significantly erode the size of protected areas […]

THE federal government has been warned its plan to alter the boundaries of national marine parks could threaten the health of WA’s prized Ningaloo Reef. A draft rezoning plan for waters surrounding the reef would reduce the protected area 73 per cent, according to the Director of the School of Biological Sciences at the University […]

TOWNSVILLE, AUSTRALIA—Five years after the Australian government created one of the world’s largest networks of marine reserves, it has unveiled a heavily revised management blueprint that would curtail conservation. Some scientists are assailing the plan as deeply flawed. “I suppose you could say it’s an insult to the science community. It’s not evidence-based,” says David Booth, a […]

The federal government’s new draft marine park plans are based on an unsubstantiated premise: that protection of Australia’s ocean wildlife is consistent with activities such as fishing and oil and gas exploration. Under the proposed plans, there would be no change to the boundaries of existing marine parks, which cover 36% of Commonwealth waters, or […]