WA mega-marine park proposed to rival Ningaloo needs work: scientists

A proposed marine park aimed at rivalling Ningaloo and the Great Barrier Reef is falling short when it comes to actually protecting wildlife, says a group of scientists who have banded together to demand better.

The proposed South Coast Marine Park will span 1000 kilometres of the Great Southern Reef, from Bremer Bay to the South Australian border.

It is home to endangered species including the southern right whale and the grey nurse shark – the latter now extinct in Victorian waters – and to species found nowhere else, including the harlequin fish, ruby seadragon, blue morwong and swallowtails.

University of Western Australia Marine Futures Lab director Professor Jessica Meeuwig said those animals were not resilient when it came to human impact.

“When we exploit those unique species it has a profound impact. If we screw up their protection, there is no Plan B – that’s it, there are no others in the world,” said the professor, who is also the Wen Family Chair in Conservation.

Meeuwig, alongside 33 other scientists with eight centuries of experience between them, have written to Premier Roger Cook and state government ministers, calling for stronger protection of the reef when the marine park is established.

Public comments on the proposal close June 16.

Under current plans, 25 per cent of the park would be categorised as a marine sanctuary, meaning no fishing is allowed, but the minimum standard for conservation is considered by scientists to be 30 per cent, according to Meeuwig.

The protected regions are also not evenly distributed. The park is broken into four separate areas – the one closest to the SA border has almost half of its area listed as a sanctuary, compared to around 20 per cent in the area closest to the largest population centre, Esperance, where human pressure is greatest.

Consideration is also being given to whether the boundaries of some sanctuary zones will be moved 200 metres away from the mainland to allow for commercial and recreational fishing near the shore – a move that would concern scientists further.

Meeuwig said five decades of research made it clear highly protected areas were the backbone of ocean protection and recovery. She joked that, much like in sex education at school, partial protection was never recommended.

“You can really see that the further you get from Esperance, the stronger the reef is and the more diverse the species are,” she said.

“There is also a lot of kelp on this reef unique to the region that has already struggled under the impact of climate change. It will still struggle regardless, but with a complete community of fish around it, it will be better protected.”

Meeuwig added that protecting biodiversity was correlated with economic and social outcomes, and that the fishing and tourism industries would also thrive with better protections in place.

“There is an opportunity to build on the plans, based on science. Let’s see that world-class marine park come to fruition,” she said.

A state government spokesman said at present, less than 1 per cent of WA’s south coast was protected by marine parks and the government aimed for the new one to rival Ningaloo and the Great Barrier Reef (which are both World Heritage Listed).

The proposed park would result in greater protection for so much of what made the state’s south coast so impressive, the spokesman said, whether that be ruby sea dragons, Australian sea lions, southern right whale nurseries, vast kelp forests or limestone reefs.

“A proposal of this magnitude demands thorough consultation, and that is exactly what is being conducted,” he said.

“The park’s indicative management plans reflect more than two years of work, including advice from 10 different sectoral advisory groups comprising scientists, researchers and conservationists, among others.

“Those plans will be informed by further feedback received throughout the public comment period, which closes at the end of this week.

“All feedback received during that time is important and will be considered as part of the planning process.

“We know WA’s southern coast demands greater protection – and the fact is that the Cook government is the first in WA history to make it a reality.”

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