A guide for planners and managers - IUCN

PART III
Case Histories of Marine Protected Areas
10. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is one of the World’s very special places and
is the largest marine park in the World. The Marine Park covers an area of
240,000 square miles, along the northeastern coastline of Australia. Its 2,900 coral
reefs, vast range of inter-reef habitats, and 900 islands make up one of the most diverse
ecosystems on earth.
Historically, Australian Aboriginal people have used the nearshore areas of the
reef for thousands of years and continue to do so as part of their subsistence, culture
and lifestyle. The Great Barrier Reef also provides employment for many through the
tourism, fishing and shipping industries managed on an ecologically sustainable
basis.
During the late 1960s and 1970s concern was raised about the changing density
of human use of the Great Barrier Reef. Of major concern were proposals for oil drilling
and limestone mining. Other concerns were increased land clearing and development
along the adjacent coast as well as accelerated fishing, recreation and tourism.
To address these concerns, Federal parliament acted to establish the Great
Barrier Reef Marine Park in 1975. The Park provides for multiple use consistent with
the requirements for nature conservation. The Act banned oil drilling and mining as
unacceptable threats to the coral ecosystem.
The establishment of a conservation regime that encompasses the entire reef
ecosystem and provides for multiple uses is a special feature of the Marine Park. The
empowerment of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (the Authority), an
independent statutory authority, to manage the entire area is a unique feature for marine
protected areas around the world and has proven an important factor in the success
of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
Zoning plans provide a basic framework for management of the Marine Park
(Figure III-8) that includes:
• Establishment of “representative areas” of protected habitats as flora and fauna
refuges and scientific reference areas.
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