Right: the Micronesian state of Palau, concerned by damage done to its waters by road and other works on land, has now protected reefs, corals, mangroves and other parts of the marine environment around its islands . Found a word you're not familiar with? Double-click that word to bring up a dictionary reference to it. The dictionary page includes an audio sound file with which to actually hear the word said. |
Further implications
The federal Opposition has not supported the Government's new marine reserves network. The Opposition has criticised the Government's current proposals as based on inadequate consultation and for being too extreme.
The Opposition has pledged that if it is elected to government it will immediately put on hold the Marine Bioregional Planning process to allow for its restructure. The Marine Bioregional Planning Process would, the Opposition has been claimed 'be immediately restructured in order to address community and industry concerns about the Labor Government's mismanagement of the process for declaring Marine Protected Areas.'
The Opposition's objections to the Gillard Government's marine reserves plan seems largely politically based; however, it seems likely that if it is elected it will repeal the regulations determining the newly extended reserves. It will re-open the consultative process and redraw the reserve boundaries in response to public consultation.
It seems likely that the result of this process would be a significantly restricted network of marine reserves and/or many more multi-use zones.
If the conservation lobby is correct and if the health of Australia's marine life depends on greatly extended marine reserves then this would be regrettable.
It would appear that additional research and a wide-ranging public education campaign is needed to gain community acceptance of whatever measures are needed to protect Australia's marine life.