Marine Park for Sydney

From eNews 419 – Friday, 17 October 2008

The National Parks Association is campaigning to get a marine park in the Hawkesbury Shelf Bioregion, which comprises the coastline around Sydney. The Hawkesbury Shelf is one of only two bioregions in NSW without a marine park.

While the World Conservation Union has set a target for sanctuary protection of 20 to 30 per cent of global waters, only 6.7 per cent of NSW waters have such protection. Overfishing, climate change, habitat destruction and degradation, and pollution are causing detrimental impacts in our coastal marine waters and pose serious threats to future marine habitat and biodiversity.

"No-take" marine sanctuaries can double fish and invertebrate densities, triple biomass, increase mean fish sizes by 20 to 30 per cent, boost the number of species by 23 per cent, quadruple catch-per unit efforts in nearby waters, and make marine ecosystems 21 per cent less vulnerable to environmental changes.

Marine sanctuaries provide tourism and education and research opportunities. Species that urgently need protection in the Hawkesbury Shelf Bioregion include the grey nurse shark, estuary cod and the woody sea dragon.

I share widespread community concern that without fully protected marine sanctuaries, Sydney's marine biodiversity could disappear. I have asked the Minister for Climate Change and the Environment to work with the National Parks Association and the community to urgently establish a marine park within the Hawkesbury Shelf Bioregion.

I encourage you top also contact the Minister to lend your support: write to The Hon Carmel Tebbutt, dp.office@tebbutt.minister.nsw.gov.au.

Information

  www.marine.org.au/campaignshawkesbury.htm

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