North Marine Parks Network Management Plan 2018 (Cth)

COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

APPROVAL OF THE NORTH MARINE PARKS NETWORK MANAGEMENT PLAN 2018 I, JOSH FRYDENBERG, Minister for the Environment and Energy, acting pursuant to section 370 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, hereby approve the North Marine Parks Network Management Plan 2018. Dated this ……......25............. day of ……………January…………., 2018 Josh Frydenberg Minister for the Environment and Energy © Director of National Parks 2018 This document may be cited as: Director of National Parks 2018, North Marine Parks Network Management Plan 2018, Director of National Parks, Canberra. ISBN: This management plan is copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the Director of National Parks. Requests and enquires concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to the: Manager North Marine Parks Network 203 Channel Highway Hobart TAS 7050 Photography credits Front cover Gorgonian fan (Cathy Zwick) Table of Contents Chapter 1 Introduction 5 Part 1. Managing Australian Marine Parks 6 1.1 Introductory provisions 6 1.2 Australian Marine Parks 6 1.3 Australian Marine Parks vision and objectives 7 1.4 Management plan overview 7 1.5 Legislation and policy supporting marine park management 8 1.6 Approach to managing Australian Marine Parks 10 1.7 Ways of working 10 1.8 Partnerships 11 1.9 Management programs and actions 13 1.10 Zones 13 1.11 Implementation plans 14 1.12 Adaptive management 14 Part 2. The North Marine Parks Network 15 2.1 The North Marine Region 16 2.2 The North Marine Parks Network 18 2.3 Values of the North Network 20 2.4 Pressures in the North Network 24 2.5 Management programs and actions in the North Network 27 Chapter 2 Management and prescriptions 34 Part 3. Zoning 35 3.1 Zone categories, names and objectives 36 Part 4. Managing activities 39 4.1 Outline of Part 4 40 4.2 Rules for activities 40 4.2.1 General use, access, and waste management 42 4.2.2 Commercial shipping (other than commercial fishing and aquaculture vessels) 43 4.2.3 Commercial fishing 44 4.2.4 Commercial pearling 47 4.2.5 Commercial aquaculture 49 4.2.6 Commercial media 51 4.2.7 Commercial tourism (includes charter fishing tours, scuba diving, nature watching tours) 51 4.2.8 Recreational fishing 53 4.2.9 Mining operations (includes exploration) 54 4.2.10 Structures and works 57 4.2.11 Research and monitoring 59 4.2.12 National security and emergency response 61 4.2.13 New activities and authorisations 62 4.3 Making decisions about activities 62 4.3.1 Decision-making 62 4.3.2 Assessments under other processes 63 4.3.3 Review of decisions 63 4.4 Authorisation of allowable activities 64 4.4.1 Permits 64 4.4.2 Class approvals 65 4.4.3 Activity licences and leases 67 4.4.4 Publication of authorisations 67 Glossary 68 Schedule 1 Summary of legislative and policy contexts 74 S1.1 The EPBC Act and EPBC Regulations 74 S1.2 Other relevant legislation 81 S1.3 International agreements 82 Schedule 2 North Network overview and values 86 S2.1 North Network overview 87 S2.2 North Network values 88 Joseph Bonaparte Gulf Marine Park 89 Oceanic Shoals Marine Park 92 Arafura Marine Park 95 Arnhem Marine Park 98 Wessel Marine Park 100 Limmen Marine Park 103 Gulf of Carpentaria Marine Park 107 West Cape York Marine Park 110 Schedule 3 Environmental features used in the design of the North Network 113 Schedule 4 North Network marine parks and zone boundary descriptions 118 Part 1 — Joseph Bonaparte Gulf Marine Park 118 Part 2 — Oceanic Shoals Marine Park 120 Part 3 — Arafura Marine Park 126 Part 4 — Arnhem Marine Park 128 Part 5 — Wessel Marine Park 128 Part 6 — Limmen Marine Park 130 Part 7 — Gulf of Carpentaria Marine Park 130 Part 8 — West Cape York Marine Park 133 Schedule 5 Supporting information 137 Map data sources 138 Chapter 1 Introduction Green turtle on reef (David Harasti)