34 of Australia’s leading scientists call for the WA Government to heed the science and strengthen the South Coast Marine Park

Credit: Stefan Andrews

LEADING SCIENTISTS CALL FOR STRONGER PROTECTION IN WA’S SOUTH COAST MARINE PARK 

More than 30 of Australia’s leading marine scientists have urged Western Australian Premier Roger Cook to strengthen protection of the unique Great Southern Reef along the State’s south coast. Led by Professor Jessica Meeuwig, the Wen Family Chair in Conservation at The University of Western Australia, the 34 scientists say the proposed South Coast Marine Park fails to offer meaningful protection for the Great Southern Reef and its unique wildlife, including endangered Australian sea lions and southern right whales.

The WA Government has committed to establishing the South Coast Marine Park in 2024 and will decide on its final design when public comment on the draft plan closes on June 16. The proposed park includes state waters along 1,000km of coastline, east of Bremer Bay to the South Australian border. The scientists are calling on the State Government to increase the size and overall coverage of marine sanctuaries – the most highly protected areas – from the proposed 25 per cent of the park to at least 30 per cent, a globally recognised minimum standard for ocean protection. 

In a letter sent to the Premier today, the scientists write: “We recognise that marine parks must balance protection and access but argue that these management plans are weighted far too heavily towards access. Careful management of marine biodiversity is essential to the future prosperity of WA in terms of tourism, fisheries, transport, and climate change mitigation.”

Professor Meeuwig said five decades of research had made clear that highly protected areas were the backbone of ocean protection and recovery. “That clarity is why we have come together to encourage the Cook Government to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to protect the Great Southern Reef, internationally renowned for its amazing biodiversity, but also so very fundamentally important to the socio-economic wellbeing of Western Australians,” she said. 

UWA’s ARC Laureate Professor Thomas Wernberg said “The Great Southern Reef contributes around $10 billion to the economy each year. “There is therefore both a strong ecological and economic imperative to ensure the GSR has adequate protection”. 

Professor Graham Edgar from the University of Tasmania and co-founder of Reef Life Survey said well-protected marine parks provided a refuge for ocean wildlife and the best insurance against overfishing. “Effective protection of the Great Southern Reef is essential to so many of its species that live no-where else and have deep evolutionary ancestry going back to Gondwana,” Professor Edgar said. “We urge the Cook Government to listen to the science.” 

Professor Hugh Possingham from the University of Queensland and Co-chief Councillor of Australia’s Biodiversity Council said protecting the Great Southern Reef was not just important for WA as the reef was of international significance. “Marine parks are the bulwark against overfishing and climate change as they provide refuge for ocean wildlife and we urge the WA Government to build on our scientific knowledge.  Resilient marine ecosystems underpin economic prosperity and human health,” Professor Possingham said. 

The scientists commended the WA Government on its commitment to protecting the state’s outstanding marine biodiversity and its partnership with the Traditional Owners through joint management. But they say protections must be strengthened to meet the marine park design principles agreed to by all governments in Australia in 2010.

“Sanctuary zones of 100sqkm or greater are reported to lead to exponentially greater conservation outcomes, yet in the current plan, only 11 of the 32 proposed sanctuary zones exceed 100sqkm,” Professor Meeuwig said. “We are particularly concerned that the Government is considering providing no protection across the band of water from the shoreline to 200m offshore throughout the marine park. “This habitat is essential to connectivity and supporting many of the fish species unique to the Great Southern Reef such as Western blue groper and King George whiting.” 

The scientists say whale conservation zones cover just six per cent of the park and allow commercial and recreational fishing, despite the risks of entanglement and noise disturbance to birthing and nursing southern right whales. “Seabirds, sharks and fish are largely overlooked in the proposed management plans with an over-reliance on fisheries management for which biodiversity conservation is not a focus,” the letter states.