The Albanese Government says it has a plan to enhance the protection of marine environments.

The proposed management plan seeks to boost conservation efforts across a 73,000 km² region - larger than the landmass of Ireland - within the South-east Marine Parks Network, which spans 700,000 km² across the coasts of Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania. 

This area houses diverse and endangered species, including pygmy blue whales and southern elephant seals.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek says it is a continuation of Australia’s global leadership in ocean conservation, following recent expansions of marine reserves, including the Heard and McDonald Islands Marine Park. 

“Australia now protects more ocean than any other country on earth,” she said. 

The new draft plan includes several key proposals. 

Eleven new no-take zones, where extractive activities like fishing are banned, are expected to increase the total area under strict protection to 86 percent of the network, doubling protection for shelf zones. 

Meanwhile, the government plans to restrict future oil, gas, and deep-sea mining developments, although existing exploration rights will remain unaffected. 

The draft also allows for low-impact, sustainable fishing practices in certain areas.

Public consultation on the draft plan will be open from 11 October to 14 November 2024.

This follows closely after the government’s recent expansion of the Heard and McDonald Islands Marine Park, a sub-Antarctic region rich in biodiversity. 

That decision increased the park’s protected area by 310,000 km², raising the total coverage to over 52 per cent of Australia’s oceans, a notable achievement given the UN’s 30 percent protection target for 2030. 

Minister Plibersek emphasised the global significance of Australia’s marine conservation efforts, calling it “a huge environmental win for the world”.

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