Real Marine Protection one step closer in SA

The Wilderness Society has long campaigned for the creation of marine protected areas in South Australia and these efforts are now reaping returns.  

In January of this year, the South Australian Government released proposed outer-boundaries for a network of marine parks extending across much of the South Australian coastline.  Whilst this is a big step forward, the campaign to secure a healthy future for South Australia’s marine environment is far from over.

Real protection or pretend parks?

Australian Sea Lions off the SA coast. Photo: Ron and Valerie Taylor

The marine parks model chosen by the State Government is called “multiple-use”.  A system of zones within each park will allow for a range of commercial and recreational activities whilst offering varying levels of protection for the marine environment.   The three key zone types are sanctuary, habitat protection and general managed use.  Only within sanctuary zones will activities which harm or remove marine plants and animals be completely prohibited.  This means much of the marine park network will remain open to extractive activities such as aquaculture, commercial fishing and mining exploration.   

Marine Protection requires a network of sanctuaries

The world’s oceans are under huge and increasing pressure from overfishing, pollution, mining and climate change.  Whilst large parts of South Australia’s coastline remain relatively unspoilt, our seas are not immune to these pressures; a significant proportion of our marine fisheries are classified as overfished¹  and the decline of seagrasses in the St Vincent and Spencer Gulfs is a major concern.  

Scientific evidence from around the world shows that networks of large sanctuaries play a major role in protecting marine species from local extinction and  rebuilding populations of fish and other species to more natural levels.  The South Australian Government has not yet made any commitments about how big sanctuaries within South Australia’s new marine parks will be. 

In 2003, the IUCN World Parks Congress recommended that all nations establish networks of no-take marine sanctuaries covering at least 20-30% of each habitat type across the globe.  In May 2009, the IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) met in Adelaide.  The WCPA is the world’s premier network of protected area expertise and has over 1400 members spanning 140 countries.  Meeting attendees discussed South Australia’s marine parks program and compared its progress with the IUCN’s international marine protection targets.  The Wilderness Society SA’s Campaign Manager, Peter Owen, spoke at the WCPA meeting telling delegates, “It is absolutely critical that South Australia play its part in meeting global no-take conservation targets”.

Conservation groups from across Australia have joined with The Wilderness Society in calling on the South Australian Government to establish large no-take sanctuary zones.  

The next step in the zoning process

The public consultation period on the proposed outer boundaries for SA’s marine parks has now closed.  In a brilliant show of support, our marine parks cyberaction resulted in over 1700 submissions being sent to Premier Mike Rann and Environment Minister Jay Weatherill.  The submissions congratulated the Government for its commitment to marine parks whilst calling for large strictly protected sanctuary zones. 

The next step in the process is the development of zoning arrangements for each marine park.  The State Government is committed to developing the zones in partnership with all users of the marine environment, including commercial and recreational fishers, local communities and the conservation sector.  Preliminary negotiations on marine park zonings are currently underway. 

The Wilderness Society is working closely with other South Australian conservation groups, including the Conservation Council of South Australia and the Environmental Defenders Office, to ensure the marine parks program delivers real and effective protection for our coasts and oceans, not pretend parks with insignificant sanctuary zones.

What you can do:

The next 12 months present the Wilderness Society and its supporters with a fantastic opportunity to achieve ground-breaking conservation outcomes for South Australia’s marine waters.  

1. Use the media – write to your local newspaper expressing your support for marine parks or call talkback radio and ask for airtime to debate this important issue.   

2. Contact SA Premier Mike Rann and SA Environment Minister Jay Weatherill.  Let them know you expect SA’s Marine Parks to deliver real and effective protection for our marine life in the form of large no-take sanctuary zones.

3. If you live in a coastal electorate, contact your local MP and ask him or her to ensure that your local areas of high conservation value are protected by sanctuary zones.  You can find out which state electorate you live in by going to the State Electoral Office website. Once you know your electorate, you can find out who your state member is by visiting the Parliament of South Australia website.  For more information about the high value conservation areas near you, contact our Marine Campaigner

4. Become a volunteer – we are always on the look-out for passionate people to help promote our exciting campaigns.  Whatever your strengths and abilities, we can harness them to protect and promote South Australia’s unique marine environment.

1PIRSA (2007) South Australian Fisheries Resources: Current Status and Recent Trends 2006, South Australian Fisheries Management Series Paper No. 49, PIRSA, South Australia, 2007.