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Lucy Rickard -
A plan that bans fishing, trawling and mining along a significant stretch of the WA and South Australian coastlines starts too far from the shore and fails to adequately protect the diverse marine life, according to key interest groups.
The draft marine bioregional plan, released by federal Environment Minister Tony Burke yesterday, covers 538,000 square kilometres of Commonwealth waters spanning from Kalbarri in the north, to Kangaroo Island in South Australia. The protected areas start about 5.5 kilometres off the coast.
Interest groups Recfishwest and the Australian Conservation Foundation were unsure of what to expect in the federal government's proposal ahead of its release, and while supportive in theory, both held concerns for various aspects of the plan.
Australian Greens senator Rachel Siewert said the draft plan had fallen short of the comprehensive network of marine parks the government had promised in the lead-up to the last election.
Senator Siewert said the plan did not cover vital areas including Perth Canyon, Geographe Bay, The Capes area, the Abrolhos Islands and Recherche Archipelago.
''The gaps in the plan include many of the areas closer to shore, areas which are under threat from drilling and trawling activities,'' she said.
The Australian Conservation Foundation shared the Senator's concerns, saying the draft maps did not adequately protect several important ocean areas in the South-West.
Foundation campaigner Chris Smyth said the release of the maps was an important step, but that the government needed to ensure adequate funding was made available for comprehensive protection of marine sanctuaries.
"The federal government needs to increase its investment in the natural capital of the South-West marine region to generate long-term returns for ocean life, regional communities and coastal lifestyles in Western Australia and South Australia," he said.
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