marine conservation

Editor: Justin Healey
ISBN 978 1 921507 07 6
Year 2009

Price: $20.95

  

Marine Conservation
Volume 297, Issues in Society

Australia is an island continent with significant interests in relation to the management of its three bordering oceans (Indian, Pacific and Southern oceans), as well as the seas lying to our north (the Timor, Arafura and Coral seas). Australia lays claim to the third largest marine jurisdiction of any nation on Earth – more than twice the size of its land mass. Australia’s oceans host some of the most important marine habitats in the world. We have a clear obligation to protect the environment of our marine jurisdiction and conserve its living resources, as well as realising some its commercial potential. This book explores a range of ocean issues, including: marine species conservation; fisheries management; the protection of whales in our waters; the major impacts of climate change on marine life, including coral reefs; and marine pollution management.

Chapter 1: Ocean Conservation in Australia
Sea facts, General marine facts – did you know?, International marine facts – did you know?, Setting Australia's limits, Australia gets bigger and richer, First we must explore, then exploit, Understanding Australia's oceans, About Australian marine protected areas, Marine protected areas of Australia, Marine species conservation.

Chapter 2: Fisheries Management
Fish stock at risk in climate change, Terminal diagnosis for ocean creatures, The Australian seafood industry, Farming Australia's seas, Fishing sustainably, Marine pests, Steps Australia has taken to address illegal fishing, Sharks in Australian waters, How is Australia protecting whales?    

Chapter 3  Climate Change, Reefs and Pollution Management
Marine life and our changing climate, Oceans and climate change, Climate change effects on marine ecosystems, Ocean acidification: Australian impacts in the global context, Great Barrier Reef threats, What is coral bleaching?, Coral reefs and climate change, Marine pollution, Marine debris.

Glossary; Fast Facts; Web Links; Index



fast facts
FAST FACTS from this volume
  • The world’s first coral reefs occurred about 500 million years ago, and the first close relatives of modern corals developed in southern Europe about 230 million years ago. By comparison, the Great Barrier Reef is relatively young at just 500,000 years old. The current reef’s structure is much younger at less than around 8,000 years old.
  • The world’s first coral reefs occurred about 500 million years ago, and the first close relatives of modern corals developed in southern Europe about 230 million years ago. By comparison, the Great Barrier Reef is relatively young at just 500,000 years old. The current reef’s structure is much younger at less than around 8,000 years old.
  • An estimated 170 exotic marine species have been introduced to Australian waters either intentionally, for aquaculture, or unintentionally in ballast water or by ship’s fouling. Of these, around 10 are regarded as pests.
  • Warming in this century is projected to be between 1.4 and 5.8°C. The impacts of climate change are already visible: the shrinking Arctic ice cap; accelerating sea level rise; receding glaciers worldwide; thawing permafrost; earlier break-up of river and lake ice; increasing intensity and duration of tropical storms; lengthening of mid- to high-latitude growing seasons; and shifts in plant and animal ranges and behaviour.
  • Oceans cover 70% of the Earth’s surface.
  • More than 90% of the planet’s living biomass is found in the oceans.
  • 80% of all pollution in seas and oceans comes from land-based activities.
  • 40% of the world’s population lives within 60 kilometres of a coast.
  • Three-quarters of the world’s megacities are by the sea.
  • More than 70% of the world’s marine fisheries are now fished up to or beyond their sustainable limit.
  • In April 2008, the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf adopted recommendations confirming Australia’s entitlement to a continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the coastline (extended continental shelf) of some 2.56 million square km. This is an area slightly larger than the land area of Western Australia and one-third the size of the Australian continent.
  • The area of Australia’s confirmed marine jurisdiction (water column and seabed beyond the territorial sea baseline) is 13.60 million square kilometres, and the full confirmed marine jurisdiction beyond the coast itself is about 13.86 million square kilometres – about 1.8 times the size of Australia’s continental landmass. Even when the Australian Antarctic Territory is included (to give a total land area of 13.59 million square kilometres) Australia has as much maritime jurisdiction as land territory. Australia’s total territorial sea is 0.85 million square kilometres, its EEZ jurisdiction with water column rights is 10.19 million square kilometres, and its confirmed area of extended continental shelf jurisdiction beyond 200 nautical miles is 2.56 million square kilometres.
  • The size of Australia’s marine jurisdiction is in the top three in the world along with the USA and France. Australia is custodian of about 3.8% of the oceans, and about 9.1% of the land, and with a full land and marine jurisdiction of 27.45 million square kilometres is custodian of about 5.4% of the Earth’s surface.
  • Australia has one of the largest marine jurisdictions in the world – an area more than twice that of our land mass. An enormous range of economic and recreational opportunities exist, while the oceans around Australia play a major role in controlling world and regional climate. Extending from the tropics to the Antarctic, only about 20% of Australia’s seafloor has been physically mapped. Far less has been studied in any biological detail.
  • Australia’s marine environments contain more than 4,000 fish varieties and tens of thousands of species of invertebrates, plants and micro-organisms. From the spectacular coral reefs of Australia’s tropical north to the majestic kelp forests of the temperate south, the number of newly discovered species tends to increase with each survey. Currently scientists estimate about 80% of our southern marine species occur nowhere else in the world.
  • Australia’s marine environments contain: the world’s largest areas and highest species diversity of tropical and temperate seagrasses; some of the largest areas of coral reefs; the highest diversity of mangrove species; exceptional levels of biodiversity for a wide range of marine invertebrates; and high levels of endemism in our temperate and sub-Antarctic waters.
  • Australia’s marine environments are under increasing pressure from threats such as: unsustainable fishing; introduced marine pests and diseases; unsustainable tourism and recreation; climate change; and pollution and sedimentation.
  • Marine protected areas help preserve genetic diversity, especially in heavily exploited populations. They provide a refuge where individuals can mature and populations evolve unaffected by harvesting and other human impacts.
  • Climate change is likely to hit supplies of many of Australia’s favourite eating fish, including barramundi, salmon, rock lobster and prawns, an extensive study undertaken by the Federal Government has warned.
  • Scientists had previously predicted that when carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reached 550 parts per million – compared with about 383 parts per million today – the oceans would become so acidic that the calcium in the shells of sea creatures would start dissolving. However, it was thought it would take 60 to 100 years for such a “tipping point” to be reached. But new findings suggest rising acidity may trigger irreversible destruction of shell creatures far sooner.
  • The Great Barrier Reef includes over 2,900 reefs, around 940 islands and cays, and stretches 2,300 kms along the Queensland coastline. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is 345,000 km2 – larger than the entire area of the UK and Ireland combined.
  • The Great Barrier Reef is immensely diverse with 1,500 species of fish, 359 types of hard coral, one third of the world’s soft corals, 175 bird species, six of the world’s seven species of threatened marine turtle and more than 30 species of marine mammals including vulnerable dugongs.
  • Climate change due to the enhanced greenhouse effect has significant consequences for coral reefs. There is a direct link between unusually warm seawater temperature and bleaching of reef-building corals around the world.
  • Land-based pollution accounts for up to 80% of all marine pollution affecting ecological processes, public health and social and commercial use of marine resources.
  • Every day, ships throughout the world jettison 5.5 million items of waste into the sea.
  • Three times as much rubbish is dumped into the world’s oceans annually as the weight of fish caught.
  • Every year an estimated 7 billion tonnes of rubbish enters the world’s oceans.
  • Between 700,000 and 1 million seabirds are killed from entanglement or ingestion each year.