Protect our Coral Sea

The Federal Government is currently developing bioregional plans for each of Australia's marine regions, including the Coral Sea, a migration corridor and home to the iconic coral reefs and many species of whales and dolphins.

Unfortunately, the level of protection the government is currently proposing for the Coral Sea is not adequate. So IFAW has joined with 13 Australian and International conservation groups to form the Protect our Coral Sea coalition with a goal is to gain maximum protection for our Coral Sea. Please take action today to ensure that our Coral Sea has full protection.

Take action now

Please write to your MP today asking him or her to protect the Coral Sea and to pass on your message to Environment Minister Burke and the Federal Government. We’ve prepared the following letter – please feel free to personalize it, and then click submit at bottom of page.

Right now the Federal Government is deciding the fate of Australia’s Coral Sea. The Department of Environment’s draft Coral Sea bioregional marine plan is a good start, but it falls short of fully protecting the area’s fragile coral reefs and spectacular marine life.

I welcome the proposed high level of protection given to the eastern half of the Coral Sea, however, the western half must also be given the same level of protection.

The western half contains most of the species-rich coral reefs and critical spawning sites for black marlin and threatened tuna. Many of the jewels in the crown of the Coral Sea remain unprotected as they lie in the western half: only two of about 25 unprotected reefs are given a high level of protection.

Please write to Environment Minister, Tony Burke, and urge him to extend the proposed marine national park to include the western half of the Coral Sea. This expanded national park zone should include the following areas:

•Osprey and Shark Reefs, which have high densities of sharks and unique species such as the Osprey nautilus. Osprey is one of the top 10 shark dive sites in the world.

•All the coral reefs of the Queensland Plateau, which provide important habitats for corals, herbivorous fish, green turtles, sharks , seabirds and hundreds of threatened species.

•The Townsville and Queensland Troughs. These are home to the only known spawning aggregation of black marlin in the world, an aggregation that also attracts toothed whales; to spawning aggregations of threatened bigeye tuna and near-threatened yellowfin tuna; and to one of only three known spawning aggregations of deep-sea lanternfish in Australian waters, which attract large feeding schools of tunas, billfish and whale sharks.

•Marion Reef and the Marion Plateau, which contain important reefs, cays and herbivorous fish. The drop-off at the edge of the plateau is habitat for large ocean fish such as tuna as well as many species of whale.

•The underwater volcanoes in the southern Coral Sea which are home to a rich array of marine life such as whales (including rarely recorded beaked whales), sharks, tuna and other ocean predators.

By extending the proposed marine national park to include the western half of the Coral Sea, Australia could create the world’s single largest marine national park. This park would have minimal socio-economic impact. The short-term cost of removing fishing would be far outweighed by the long-term conservation, scientific and tourism benefits to Australia and the world.

Please note that I support the ban on oil and gas extraction and the ban on fishing gear that destroys seafloor habitats throughout the entire marine park.

The Coral Sea is also of great historic significance. In May 1942, it was the arena for the Battle of the Coral Sea, and many shipwrecks can be found on its scattered and diverse reefs.

Australia has a rare opportunity to create a lasting ocean legacy and demonstrate global leadership in ocean conservation. Protecting special places in our oceans, like the Coral Sea, deliver long-term benefits for us all now and for the generations that follow us.

Please relay my concerns to Mr Burke.

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