parks victoria technical series marine natural values study vol 2 ...
parks victoria technical series marine natural values study vol 2 ...
parks victoria technical series marine natural values study vol 2 ...
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Parks Victoria Technical Series No. 79<br />
Flinders and Twofold Shelf Bioregions Marine Natural Values Study<br />
Summary<br />
Along Victoria’s coastline there are 30 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) that have been<br />
established to protect the state’s significant <strong>marine</strong> environmental and cultural <strong>values</strong>. These<br />
MPAs include 13 Marine National Parks (MNPs), 11 Marine Sanctuaries (MSs), 3 Marine<br />
and Coastal Parks, 2 Marine Parks, and a Marine Reserve, and together these account for<br />
11.7% of the Victorian <strong>marine</strong> environment. The highly protected Marine National Park<br />
System, which is made up of the MNPs and MSs, covers 5.3% of Victorian waters and was<br />
proclaimed in November 2002. This system has been designed to be representative of the<br />
diversity of Victoria’s <strong>marine</strong> environment and aims to conserve and protect ecological<br />
processes, habitats, and associated flora and fauna. The Marine National Park System is<br />
spread across Victoria’s five <strong>marine</strong> bioregions with multiple MNPs and MSs in each<br />
bioregion, with the exception of Flinders bioregion which has one MNP. All MNPs and<br />
MSs are “no-take” areas and are managed under the National Parks Act (1975) - Schedules<br />
7 and 8 respectively.<br />
This report updates the first Marine Natural Values Study (Plummer et al. 2003) for the<br />
MPAs in the Flinders and Twofold Shelf bioregions on the east coast of Victoria and is one of<br />
a <strong>series</strong> of five reports covering Victoria’s Marine National Park System. It uses the<br />
numerous monitoring and research programs that have increased our knowledge since<br />
declaration and aims to give a comprehensive overview of the important <strong>natural</strong> <strong>values</strong> of<br />
each MNP and MS.<br />
The Flinders and Twofold Shelf bioregions encompass the east coast of Victoria from<br />
Wilsons Promontory and extend into Tasmania and New South Wales respectively. Wilsons<br />
Promontory MNP is in the Flinders bioregion, and Ninety Mile Beach, Point Hicks and Cape<br />
Howe MNPs and Beware Reef MS are in the Twofold Shelf bioregion. Both bioregions have<br />
cool temperate biota but with some warm-temperate species commonly found in NSW due<br />
to the influence of the East Australian Current (EAC). The continental shelf narrows towards<br />
the east of Twofold Shelf bioregion, where nutrient rich, cold water upwellings occur. Long<br />
sandy beaches with granite headlands and promontories are typical of the coast in the<br />
bioregions. Shores in Flinders plunge steeply onto a deep sandy sea floor. In Twofold Shelf<br />
the sandy low carbonate soft sediments slope off more gently to deep waters.<br />
The MPAs are spread along the eastern Victorian coast to the NSW border and all are<br />
remote from large population centres. Wilsons Promontory adjoins other <strong>marine</strong> protected<br />
areas, and all MNPs, except Ninety Mile Beach MNP, adjoin terrestrial national <strong>parks</strong>.<br />
Wilsons Promontory MNP, at 15,530 hectares, is the largest MPA in Victoria. Ninety Mile<br />
Beach, Point Hicks and Cape Howe are 2650, 3805 and 4054 respectively. This makes them<br />
the ninth, fifth and fourth largest MNPs. Beware Reef, at 220 hectares, is the second largest<br />
MS. The four MNPs extend from high water mark on the coast to the limit of state waters 3<br />
nautical miles offshore, except Wilsons Promontory which has a slightly more complicated<br />
offshore boundary. Beware Reef MS does not adjoin the coast and is a 1.5 km square<br />
around an isolated granite reef.<br />
Mapping of <strong>marine</strong> habitats is important for understanding and communicating the<br />
distribution of <strong>natural</strong> <strong>values</strong> within Marine National Parks and Sanctuaries, particularly as<br />
the <strong>marine</strong> environment is not as easily visualised as the terrestrial environment (Parks<br />
Victoria 2003). Knowledge of the distribution and extent of habitats is required to effectively<br />
target management activities, including emergency response, monitoring and research.<br />
Mapping of <strong>marine</strong> habitats provides a baseline inventory, allows the identification of suitable<br />
monitoring sites and possible tracking of environmental change, as well as identifying areas<br />
vulnerable to particular threats or suitable for recreational activities. High resolution habitat<br />
and bathymetry mapping has increased our understanding of habitats in the shallow waters<br />
of all the MPAs, and extends to the whole MPA for Point Hicks and Cape Howe MNPs. All<br />
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