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WA Marine
With over 40% of Australia's coastline spanning waters from the tropics through to cool temperate, Western Australia's marine environment is vast, remote and relatively undiscovered. This ancient and isolated seascape is unprotected and under threat due to Australia's energy boom. The Wilderness Society is working towards securing a network of marine protected areas across nearly 3 million km2 of marine waters and, if successful, Australia will have the largest marine sanctuaries on earth.
WA Marine Info
Save Our Marine Life: our unique south-west seas
In late February 2009, a new collaboration of key Australian and international conservation groups, including the Wilderness Society, launched Save Our Marine Life to secure the future of Australia’s south west marine environment, by creating large marine sanctuaries. more »
WA's state waters are home to rich and diverse marine habitats – from the cool sponge gardens of the South to the tropical coral of the North. Yet less than 3% of this natural beauty and diversity is currently protected. more »
Despite being a marine wonderland, currently the coastal waters of the spectacular Kimberley are completely unprotected and Western Australia’s Premier Colin Barnett has big plans for industrialisation. more »
WA Marine Upcoming Events
- Perth volunteer meetings
Our volunteer meetings or Wilderness Action Group (WAG) meetings are informative, fun, social, motivational and educational. They are also a great opportunity to learn about TWS's environmental work and get actively involved in campaigns to protect WA's wild places and wildlife. If you are interested in volunteering with us - Perth WAG meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month!
WA Marine Updates
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Tony Burke: man in the hot seat - February 04, 2012
The AustralianSWIRLING around the remote islands of King Sound on the Buccaneer Archipelago, powerful 12m tides create the Kimberley coastline's horizontal waterfalls, dotting the waters with perilous whirlpools that can sink the foolhardy and the unprepared. The region is a favourite place for federal Environment Minister Tony Burke, who last year declared the west Kimberley a National Heritage area. Burke is confident the next 12 months will be his time of delivery. It will, he hopes, provide an environmental legacy for the nation and a personal legacy for his time in the environment portfolio. But some fear he has too much on his plate. "It is a big program and this stuff is getting more complex, not less," national campaign director for the Wilderness Society Lyndon Schneiders says.
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Heritage decision 'won't halt industry' - August 31, 2011
West AustralianEnvironmental lobby groups have slammed federal environment minister Tony Burke’s announcement of national heritage listing for the Kimberley and the exclusion of James Price Point. The Wilderness Society slammed Mr Burke’s decision to exclude James Price Point - the proposed site of Woodside's $30 million natural gas hub - from the listing. National campaign director Lyndon Schneiders said the listing would be meaningless if the Browse gas precinct went ahead.
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Kimberley heritage listing: the verdict - August 31, 2011
West AustralianThe site of Woodside’s $30 billion proposed liquefied natural gas hub in Western Australia won’t be included in the heritage listing of the west Kimberley. Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke announced near Broome this morning that more than 19 million hectares of the west Kimberley will be given national heritage listing. The Wilderness Society's national campaign director Lyndon Schneiders said the listing would be meaningless if the Browse gas precinct, proposed to be built at James Price Point, went ahead.
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Don't come the raw prawn with us: fishing industry says - August 04, 2011
Cairns PostNorthern prawn fishermen have rejected claims their industry is as destructive to the ocean as clear-felling of forests on land. A new report released by a number of Australian environmental groups has branded sea floor fishing as being "indiscriminate" in its impact on marine life. Gavan McFadzean from the Wilderness Society called on Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke to rule out any watering down of proposed new marine sanctuaries to benefit sea floor trawling or gillnet fishing.
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Fight primed to explode as sparks fly over gas hub - October 01, 2011
Sydney Morning HeraldIf Woodside, the Premier of Western Australia Colin Barnett and the Minister for Resources and Energy Martin Ferguson, wanted a fight over the Browse gas hub on the Kimberley coast, they've got it. The Wilderness Society campaign director, Lyndon Schneiders, was more blunt, recently saying: "We are going to throw everything, including the kitchen sink, to stop this divisive and inappropriate proposal. If we lose here, the whole of the Kimberley will be at threat.''
