<
https://theconversation.com/australias-government-is-pledging-better-protection-for-our-vulnerable-seas-but-will-it-work-258286>
"Ahead of this week’s crucial United Nations ocean conference, federal
Environment Minister Murray Watt promised that by 2030, 30% of Australian
waters would be “highly protected”.
This is a telling pledge. After all, 52% of Australian waters are now protected
following years of rapid expansion. But many are “paper parks” – lines on a map
with very little real protection.
Watt is proposing to expand the area under gold-standard protection, meaning
fishing, mining and drilling would be banned inside the parks. This is welcome.
But it must be done strategically, protecting ecologically representative and
high biodiversity areas.
If Watt is serious, he must ensure these upgraded marine parks cover poorly
protected habitats important for biodiversity. These include shallow coastal
zones, submarine canyons, seamounts and rocky reefs on the continental shelf.
It’s not just about protecting 30% of the seas – marine parks must protect the
full range of species and habitats in Australia."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
