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Coasts and Oceans
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Keep up with Australian Government activities in the marine environment. Read the latest bulletin
Explore the mysteries of the deep and discover more about our amazing oceans
Take a tour of Australia's Marine Protected Areas with this video introduced by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts.
Obtain information about the coastal and marine legislation, policies and programs which are developed and implemented by the Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.
Marine Bioregional Plans are currently underway for each of Australia's five marine regions. Each region is up to a different stage of the planning process. More information about the timelines, contacts and a stakeholder consultation
The Australian Government's marine bioregional planning program has reached another milestone with the release of the North and the North-west Marine Bioregional Profiles. There are now three Marine Bioregional Profiles available on the website the South-West Marine Bioregional Profile, North-west Marine Bioregional Profile and the North Marine Bioregional Profile.
In 2006, following a review of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 , a series of measures was proposed to strengthen legal, governance and policy frameworks relating to management and long-term protection of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. More about the 2006 Review and the implementation of these measures.
The Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council (NRMMC) endorsed the Framework for a National Cooperative Approach to Integrated Coastal Zone Management (the Framework) on 3 October 2003. Integrated Coastal Zone Management aims to protect coastal and estuarine water quality, coastal biodiversity and the economic base of coastal areas around Australia. More about Integrated Coastal Zone Management in Australia
The second Great Barrier Reef Water Quality Protection Plan Annual Report has been released. This Reef Plan Annual Report highlights more of the Australian and Queensland Government initiatives that will help to protect the reef.
For more information, see the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan
The Department is implementing a structural adjustment package for fishers, their employees and other businesses/workers who are significantly negatively impacted by the rezoning of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park which came into effect on 1 July 2004. The rezoning has resulted in the area of the GBRMP closed to commercial fishing increasing from 4.5% to 33%.
For further information please contact Steve Jackson on 03-6208 2951.
The report reviews the licence buyout component of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Structural Adjustment Package. This is the first component of the package to be completed. The Department bought 122 commercial fishing licences from businesses that operated in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in order to offset the loss of area available to commercial fishing. The review considers the Department met the targets set for the buyout and that the approaches adopted were reasonable. It goes on to make recommendations on how any future adjustment packages could be improved.
