Protected places report card - environment.gov.au€¦ · Protected places report card Supporting the marine bioregional plan for the North-west Marine Region ... including significant

Protected places report cardSupporting the marine bioregional plan

for the North-west Marine Regionprepared under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

ii | Supporting the marine bioregional plan for the North-west Marine Region | Protected places report card

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© Commonwealth of Australia 2012

This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the Commonwealth. Requests and enquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, Public Affairs, GPO Box 787 Canberra ACT 2601 or email [email protected]

Images: Striped Nudibranch – C.Zwick and DSEWPaC, Raccoon butterfly fish – N.Wolfe, Display of colourful coral – Tourism WA, Red and yellow feather star (crinoids) – Tourism WA, Whale tail – Tourism WA, Snorkelling in Ningaloo Marine Park – Tourism WA, Green Turtle – Tourism WA, Black tip reef shark – N.Wolfe, Whale Shark – GBRMPA, Sea Grass Meadow – Lochman Transparencies

iiiii | Supporting the marine bioregional plan for the North-west Marine Region | Protected places report card

CONTENTS

Protected places report card ....................................................................................................11. Protected places of the North-west Marine Region .................................................................3

2. Vulnerabilities and pressures ................................................................................................. 11

3. Relevant protection measures ................................................................................................15

References ................................................................................................................................16

Map data sources .....................................................................................................................17

1 | Supporting the marine bioregional plan for the North-west Marine Region | Protected places report card

PROTECTED PLACES REPORT CARD

Supporting the marine bioregional plan for the North-west Marine Region prepared under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

Report cards

The primary objective of the report cards is to provide accessible information on the conservation values found in Commonwealth marine regions. This information is maintained by the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities and is available online through the department’s website (www.environment.gov.au). A glossary of terms relevant to marine bioregional planning is located at www.environment.gov.au/marineplans.

Reflecting the categories of conservation values, there are three types of report cards:

• species group report cards

• marine environment report cards

• heritage places report cards.

http://www.environment.gov.au


Protected places report card

The protected places report card provides spatial and contextual information in regard to matters protected for their natural, cultural, historical and Indigenous heritage values. In the marine environment these matters include those places protected under the EPBC Act as matters of national environmental significance (places listed as world heritage properties, national heritage places or wetlands of international importance), Commonwealth marine reserves and places deemed to have heritage values in the Commonwealth marine environment (such as places on the Commonwealth Heritage List or shipwrecks under the Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976). The report card also provides information on the potential vulnerabilities and pressures on protected places and outlines existing protection measures.


1. Protected places of the North-west Marine RegionThis report card focuses on features and places of the North-west Marine Region that are recognised and protected for their heritage values. Protected places include marine reserves and heritage places. There are currently four Commonwealth marine reserves, one Ramsar site, one national heritage place, one world heritage place, five Commonwealth heritage places and four historic shipwrecks in the region (Figure 1).

Further information on heritage places is available at www.environment.gov.au/heritage/index.html

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Figure 1: Protected places in the North-west Marine Region as of May 2012


Marine protected areas

There are four existing Commonwealth marine reserves in the North-west Marine Region—Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve and Cartier Island Marine Reserve, Mermaid Reef Marine National Nature Reserve, and Ningaloo Marine Park (Commonwealth waters). As outlined in Table 1, these marine reserves are also components of some of the key ecological features found in the North-west Marine Region. Further details on these key ecological features and the pressures facing them are available in the Commonwealth marine environment report card (www.environment.gov.au/marineplans/north-west).

Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve and Cartier Island Marine Reserve

Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve (Ashmore) is located on Australia’s North West Shelf in the Indian Ocean, about 450 nautical miles (840 kilometres) west of Darwin, 330 nautical miles (610 kilometres) north of Broome and 60 nautical miles (110 kilometres) south of the Indonesian island of Roti. Ashmore covers 583 square kilometres and includes two extensive lagoons, shifting sand flats and cays, seagrass meadows and a large reef flat covering an area of 239 square kilometres. Within Ashmore are three small islands known as East, Middle and West Islands.

Cartier Island Marine Reserve (Cartier) is located 25 nautical miles (45 kilometres) south-east of Ashmore Reef. Covering an area of 167 square kilometres, Cartier includes an unvegetated sand island (Cartier Island) and the area within a 4 nautical mile radius of the centre of the island, to a depth of 1 kilometre below the sea floor. The area around the island includes a variety of habitats including a mature reef flat, a small submerged pinnacle (known as Wave Governor Bank) and two shallow pools to the north-east of the island.

Ashmore and Cartier support large numbers of marine species including sea snakes, dugongs, reef-building corals, fish and other marine invertebrate fauna. The reserves also provide important nesting sites for seabirds and marine turtles and provide staging points and feeding areas for large populations of migratory shorebirds.

Ashmore and Cartier have a high diversity of reef-building and non-reef building corals. The 255 species of reef-building corals identified at Ashmore is thought to be the greatest number of reef-building species of any reef area off the Western Australian coast. There are three species of mollusc that are only found at Ashmore (Amoria spenceriana, Cymbiola baili and Conus morrisoni). Recent research has indicated that the total number of fish species at Ashmore and Cartier may be as high as 650 species. The high density and diversity of fish is linked to the diversity of habitat types.


It is estimated that Ashmore and Cartier support approximately 11 000 marine turtles, including significant populations of green, loggerhead and hawksbill turtles. The Ashmore and Cartier population of green turtles is genetically distinct from the other two breeding populations in the region.

Ashmore also supports a small dugong population of less than 50 individuals. It is thought that this population is genetically distinct from other Australian populations and the extent to which this population interacts with Indonesian populations is unknown. It is possible that the population’s range extends to Cartier and other submerged shoals in the region.

Historically, Ashmore and Cartier have been recognised internationally for their high diversity and density of sea snakes. It is estimated that before 2000 there were 40 000 sea snakes from at least 13 species present at Ashmore, representing the greatest number of sea snake species recorded globally. Three of the species at Ashmore are endemic to Australia’s North West Shelf, which means they are not found anywhere else in the world. Recent research has shown a decline in sea snakes at Ashmore, with further research required to identify the cause of this decline.

Mermaid Reef Marine National Nature Reserve

Mermaid Reef Marine National Nature Reserve (Mermaid) surrounds Mermaid Reef, which is located about 150 nautical miles (290 kilometres) north-west of Broome, Western Australia. Mermaid is located near the edge of Australia’s continental slope and is surrounded by waters that extend to a depth of more than 500 metres.

Mermaid Reef is the most north-easterly of three reef systems forming the Rowley Shoals. Mermaid Reef is totally submerged at high tide and therefore falls under Australian Government jurisdiction. The other two reefs of the Rowley Shoals (Clerke Reef and Imperieuse Reef) are managed by the Western Australian Government as the Rowley Shoals Marine Park.

The Rowley Shoals, including Mermaid Reef, have an abundance and variety of marine wildlife that is in a relatively undisturbed condition, as well as spectacular and unusual underwater topography. Mermaid Reef is the most north-easterly of the reef systems of the Rowley Shoals. All three of the reefs are similar in shape, size, orientation and distance from each other. Each has a large lagoonal area containing small sand cays or islands, narrow lagoon entrance channels on the eastern side and an outer reef edge dropping off relatively steeply into oceanic waters between depths of 500–700 metres. Oval in shape, the reefs follow a south-west to north-east alignment along the edge of the continental shelf and lie 30–40 kilometres apart. The three reefs of the Rowley Shoals have been described as some of the best examples of shelf-edge reefs occurring in Australian waters.


Mermaid Reef is considered the ‘youngest’ of the three reefs, each of which shows a different stage in the development of a shelf atoll reef. There is no permanent land at Mermaid but a large sand bank near the northern edge of the lagoon and a series of small banks to the west become exposed at low tides.

These sandbanks are thought to be important resting sites for migratory birds. Nineteen species have been sighted at the Rowley Shoals and three of these are known to breed on Bedwell and Cunningham islands in the nearby Rowley Shoals Marine Park (under Western Australian jurisdiction).

The Rowley Shoals, including Mermaid Reef, are thought to be sites of enhanced biological productivity, as breaking internal waves cause mixing and the resuspension of nutrients in surface waters. The area supports a great variety of marine species in a relatively undisturbed condition. A number of species are at the limit of their distribution, and some are found nowhere else in Western Australia.

Ningaloo Marine Park (Commonwealth waters)

Ningaloo Marine Park (Commonwealth waters) stretches approximately 300 kilometres along the west coast of the Cape Range Peninsula near Exmouth, Western Australia, approximately 1200 kilometres north of Perth. The total area of the reserve is 2435 square kilometres. Ningaloo Reef, the longest fringing barrier reef in Australia, and the only example in the world of extensive fringing coral reef on the west coast of a continent, is adjacent to the reserve and is protected by the Ningaloo Marine Park (State waters), which lies between the reserve and the WA coast. The combined state and Commonwealth waters of the Ningaloo Marine Park cover a total area of 5070 square kilometres.

The reserve is located in a transition zone between tropical and temperate waters and sustains tropical and temperate plants and animals, with many species at the limit of their distribution. The reserve’s water depths range from a relatively shallow 30 metres to oceanic waters more than 500 metres.

Ningaloo Marine Park (Commonwealth waters) has a diverse range of marine species and unique geomorphic features. The reserve provides essential biological and ecological links that sustain Ningaloo Reef, which occurs in the state waters of the Ningaloo Marine Park, including the supply of nutrients to reef communities from deeper waters further offshore.

Whales are a major feature of the reserve, with humpback whales migrating through twice a year on their annual migration between calving grounds off the Kimberley and feeding grounds in Antarctica. Blue and sperm whales have been observed in the offshore regions of the reserve as have minke, Bryde’s, southern right and killer whales. Dolphins are also relatively common in the reserve.


The reserve is recognised internationally for its annual aggregations of whale sharks. It is thought that between 300 and 500 whale sharks visit each year. Aggregations generally occur between March and June, coinciding with mass coral spawning events and seasonal localised increases in productivity.

Ramsar sites

Ramsar sites are designated under the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance which aims to halt the worldwide loss of wetlands and conserve, through wise use and management, those that remain. Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve was designated a Ramsar site in 2003 due to the importance of its islands in providing a resting place for migratory shorebirds and supporting large seabird breeding colonies. Ashmore Reef supports over 50 000 breeding pairs of seabirds, including sooty terns, crested terns, bridled terns, brown boobies and common noddies. It is also an important staging post for migratory shorebirds during the non-breeding season, including grey-tailed tattlers, ruddy turnstones and sanderling. The grey-tailed tattler and the ruddy turnstone have been recorded in numbers of international significance. By virtue of its listing under the Ramsar Convention, Ashmore Reef is a matter of national environmental significance.

Heritage places

Several sites in the North-west Marine Region are listed as more than one type of heritage place under the EPBC Act. Heritage places and their listing categories are in Table 1. Table 1 also identifies relevant key ecological features in the vicinity of each heritage place. Further information about the values of the heritage places can be found in the descriptions of the key ecological features in the Commonwealth marine environment report card.

National heritage places

The National Heritage List is a list that includes natural, historic and Indigenous places that are of outstanding national heritage value to the Australian nation. In January 2010, the Ningaloo coast was included on the National Heritage List. The listing covers an area of 708 000 hectares and includes Cape Range on Exmouth Peninsula, a coastal strip extending about 260 kilometres south to Red Bluff and adjacent dunefields, marine areas, reefs and islands in both state and Commonwealth waters. The Ningaloo coast is also a World Heritage–listed site, making it one of the most outstanding natural places in the world. It is recognised for its biological diversity, aggregations of marine life and stunning contrast between rich coral reefs and arid landscapes. By virtue of its listing on the National Heritage List and World Heritage List, the Ningaloo coast is a matter of national environmental significance.


Commonwealth heritage places

The Commonwealth Heritage List is a list of natural, Indigenous and historic heritage places owned or controlled by the Australian Government. It includes places connected to defence, communications, customs and other government activities that reflect Australia’s development as a nation. Commonwealth heritage places in the North-west Marine Region are Mermaid Reef (listed as Mermaid Reef – Rowley Shoals), Ashmore Reef and surrounds, Seringapatam Reef and surrounds, Scott Reef and surrounds, and the Commonwealth waters adjacent to Ningaloo Reef (listed as Ningaloo Marine Area – Commonwealth waters).

Table 1: Protected places in the North-west Marine Region as of May 2012

Heritage placeCommonwealth

marine protected area

Commonwealth Heritage List

National Heritage

List

World Heritage

List

Ramsar site

Relevant key ecological feature

Ningaloo Reef ü ü ü ü û

Commonwealth waters adjacent to Ningaloo Reef

Ashmore Reef ü ü û û ü Ashmore Reef, Cartier Island and surrounding Commonwealth waters

Cartier Island ü û û û û

Mermaid Reef – Rowley Shoals

ü ü û û û

Mermaid Reef and Commonwealth waters surrounding the Rowley Shoals

Scott Reef and surrounds – Commonwealth area

û ü û û û Seringapatam Reef and Commonwealth waters in the Scott Reef complexSeringapatam

Reef and surrounds

û ü û û û


Historic shipwrecks

The Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976 states that a historic shipwreck is a shipwreck that is:

• more than 75 years old

• located in Australian waters and waters above the continental shelf of Australia.

A shipwreck that is less than 75 years old may be declared a historic shipwreck by the minister if it is deemed to possess historical significance. Four historic shipwrecks have been declared or located within the region (Table 2 and Figure 1). The vast majority of shipwrecks are already declared under the 75 year blanket protection provided by the Historic Shipwrecks Act. Protected or no-entry zones may also be declared to provide further protection to particularly vulnerable or important sites.

Table 2: Historic shipwrecks in the North-west Marine Region as of May 2012

Shipwreck name Year Description

Trial 1622 The earliest known shipwreck in Australian waters. An English East Indian ship wrecked on Trial Rocks north of the Montebello Islands, on its way to the port of Batavia in Indonesia from Plymouth, England

Lively 1810 An English whaler vessel believed wrecked on the western edge of Mermaid Reef

Ann Millicent 1888 An iron-hulled barque of 944 tons wrecked on the southern reef edge of Cartier Island on a voyage from the Gulf of Carpentaria to Adelaide

Crown of England 1912 Foundered during a cyclone at Wreck Point, Depuch Island


2. Vulnerabilities and pressuresThe following two sections refer only to historic shipwrecks. The other protected places of the region are all encompassed by a key ecological feature of the North-west Marine Region and separate pressure analyses have not been conducted. For detailed information on the vulnerabilities and analysis of pressures of protected places other than historic shipwrecks, please refer to the relevant key ecological features described in the Commonwealth marine environment report card.

Vulnerabilities

Most materials used to construct vessels are vulnerable to various forms and degrees of deterioration in the marine environment. The rate and scale of vessel deterioration depends on the strength of the materials used in construction and the duration and force of disturbance.

Disturbance, which encompasses both environmental and anthropogenic threats, causes physical deterioration to vessels. Physical scouring or smothering (from sediment dispersal) may progressively deteriorate a shipwreck. The four shipwrecks of the North-west Marine Region are subjected to different environmental conditions, based on their location.

The historic shipwreck at Mermaid Reef is believed to be the English whaler Lively, which was a three-masted, ship-rigged vessel of approximately 250 tons. This vessel was lost when it struck the western edge of Mermaid Reef in the early 19th century. Mermaid Reef is part of the Rowley Shoals, a chain of coral reefs situated on the continental slope to the west of the Rowley Shelf. The shoals are orientated north-south and rise vertically from a depth of 440 metres.

Two anchors and several iron knees believed to be from the wreck still lie on the western side of the reef flat. Trypots and a cannon remain in an underwater gully off the edge of the reef, near the anchors. None of the recovered material allows a positive identification of this wreck as being that of the Lively.


The Ann Millicent is wrecked on the southern edge of Cartier Island and is exposed at low tide. Cartier Island is one of a string of submerged carbonate banks in the outer North West Shelf.

The Crown of England and the Trial are both wrecked in the Northwest Shelf Provincial bioregion, at Depuch Island and Trial Rocks, respectively. Most of this bioregion is located on the continental shelf and the substrate is dominated by sands (Baker et al. 2008). The seafloor in the region is particularly strongly affected by cyclonic storms, long-period swells and large internal tides that stimulate sediment movement.

Analysis of pressures

On the basis of current Information, pressures have been assessed for historic shipwrecks in the region. A summary of the pressure analysis for historic shipwrecks is provided in Table 3. Only pressure identified as of concern or of potential concern are discussed in further detail below. A description of the pressure analysis process, including the definition of substantial impact used in this analysis, is provided in Part 3 and Section 1.1 of Schedule 1 of the plan.


Table 3: Outputs of the historic shipwreck pressure analysis for the North-west Marine Region

Pressure Source Trial Lively Ann Millicent

Crown of England

Changes in sea temperature

Climate change

Chemical pollution Shipping, vessels

Onshore/offshore mining operations

Nutrient pollution Agricultural activities, urban development

Noise pollution Shipping

Seismic

Light pollution Onshore and offshore activities

Physical habitat modification

Dredging

Offshore construction

Extraction of living resources

Commercial fishing

Recreational fishing

Bycatch Commercial fishing

Recreational fishing

Human presence at sensitive sites

Tourism

Recreational and charter fishing

Collision with vessels

Shipping, vessels

Invasive species Land-based activities

Legend of concern of potential concern

of less concern not of concern


Changes in sea temperature—climate change

Changes in sea temperature are of potential concern for historic shipwrecks in the North-west Marine Region. Sea temperatures have warmed by 0.7 ºC between 1910–1929 and 1989–2008, and current projections estimate ocean temperatures will be 1 ºC warmer by 2030 (Lough 2009). Shifts in temperature can impact on the long-term preservation of shipwrecks, especially those located in shallow waters such as the Ann Millicent. Increases in sea temperatures may increase the decay of wrecks, with the rate of deterioration dependent on vessel composition.

Physical habitat modification—offshore construction and dredging

Offshore construction is of potential concern for the Crown of England shipwreck. Physical disturbance or smothering (from sediment dispersal) may progressively deteriorate a shipwreck. The Crown of England is located at Depuch Island, approximately 100 kilometres east of Dampier. Depuch Island lies 55 kilometres to the east of major oil and gas operations and fields.

The coastline of the North-west Marine Region is under pressure from an expanding and developing oil and gas industry and the establishment of port facilities for the export of minerals, especially iron ore from the Pilbara. Industrial growth and shipping activity is projected to expand. New port sites have been proposed for the area, including some that are close to Depuch Island (DEWHA 2008).

Legend of concern of potential concern

of less concern not of concern


3. Relevant protection measures

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act

The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) provides protection to world heritage places, national heritage places and historic shipwrecks through its environmental impact assessment process. Any action that is likely to have a significant impact on a matter of national environmental significance will require approval under the EPBC Act.

Historic Shipwrecks Act

The Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976 aims to protect historic shipwrecks for their heritage values, maintain them for educational and recreational purposes, and regulate activities that may result in their damage, interference, removal or destruction. The Historic Shipwrecks Act contains six principal protection measures to meet its management objectives:

• Protection zones Protection zones are declared by the minister and prohibit entry into a declared zone. A protection zone may extend up to 200 hectares and includes the airspace above, the waters or land beneath, the seabed and seabed subsoil. (For more information see www.environment.gov.au/heritage/shipwrecks/protected-zones.html)

• Prohibitions against certain actions A person must not unlawfully engage in conduct that destroys, damages, interferes, disposes or removes an historic shipwreck or relic. Upon conviction under this section,

• a person is punishable by a fine not exceeding $10 000 or imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years, or both. A body corporate is punishable by a fine not exceeding $50 000.

• Permits If an action will damage, destroy or interfere with an historic shipwreck or relic, a permit must be obtained from the minister before commencement of the action. (For more information see www.environment.gov.au/heritage/publications/shipwreck-forms-permits.html)

• Ministerial directions regarding possession, custody or control The minister may require a person in possession, custody or control of a shipwreck, article or relic to undertake an action to ensure its preservation.

• Maintenance of an historic shipwreck register The minister shall operate a Register of Historic Shipwrecks. A new Australian National Shipwrecks Database was launched in 2009 and includes all known shipwrecks in Australian waters (see www.environment.gov.au/heritage/shipwrecks/database.html)

• Duty to notify of a shipwreck discovery A person who finds the remains of a vessel or any associated article must inform the minister as soon as practicable. Notification can be made via apps5a.ris.environment.gov.au/shipwreck/public/forms/notification.do?mode=add.


REFERENCES

Baker, C, Potter, A, Tran, M & Heap, AD 2008, Geomorphology and Sedimentology of the Northwest Marine Region of Australia, Geoscience Australia, Record 2008/07 Geoscience Australia, Canberra. 220pp.

DEWHA (Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts) 2008, North-west Marine Region bioregional profile: a description of the ecosystems, conservation values and uses of the North-west Marine Region, DEWHA, Canberra, viewed 27 July 2011, <www.environment.gov.au/coasts/mbp/north-west>

Lough, JM 2009, ‘Temperature’, in ES Poloczanska, AJ Hobday & AJ Richardson (eds), A marine climate change impacts and adaptation report card for Australia 2009, National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility publication 05/09, viewed 21 June 2011, <www.oceanclimatechange.org.au/content/index.php/site/report_card_extended/category/temperature/>.


MAP DATA SOURCES

DSEWPaC (2011): Australia, World Heritage Areas

DSEWPaC (2010): Historic Shipwrecks Register

DSEWPaC (2010): Collaborative Australian Protected Areas Database (CAPAD)

DSEWPaC (2007): Commonwealth Marine Protected Areas Managed by DSEWPaC

DSEWPaC (2006): Commonwealth Marine Planning Regions

Geoscience Australia (2006): Australian Maritime Boundaries (AMB) v2.0

Geoscience Australia (2009): Australian Bathymetry and Topography

Geoscience Australia (2004): Gazetteer of Australia

Geoscience Australia (2003): Australia, TOPO-2.5M Topographic Data

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Protected places report card - environment.gov.au€¦ · Protected places report card Supporting the marine bioregional plan for the North-west Marine Region ... including significant