Biologically Important Areas of Regionally Significant Marine Species

Work has been undertaken through the marine bioregional planning program to identify, describe and map biologically important areas (BIA's) for protected species under the EPBC Act. BIA's spatially and temporally define areas where protected species display biologically important behaviours (including breeding, foraging, resting or migration), based on the best available scientific information. These areas are those parts of a marine region that are particularly important for the conservation of protected species. In collecting information on BIA's the Department has explicitly aimed to collect information about known important areas and about areas that are likely to be or may be important for a protected species. This approach was taken to ensure that: the BIA's identified did not simply represent survey effort but identified areas that scientists consider are likely to be biologically important for a protected species. BIA's are accompanied by comprehensive data attributes which enable decision-makers and people proposing to undertake actions that may have a significant impact on matters of national environmental significance to assess the relevance of the information to their specific circumstances. BIA's were initially captured on a regional basis and each region has a different list of regionally significant species. For more information about BIA's and their capture please refer to the Marine Bioregional plans http://www.environment.gov.au/topics/marine/marine-bioregional-plans and the associated report cards for each region.

The following species have BIA's identified in the Coral Sea Marine Region:
Note: A number of these species occur in the Great Barrier Reef.

Dolphins
Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin (Sousa chinensis)
Indo-Pacific/Spotted Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops aduncus)

Marine Turtles:
Flatback Turtle (Natator depressus)
Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)
Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta)

Seabirds:
Black-naped Tern (Sterna sumatrana)
Black Noddy (Anous minutus)
Bridled Tern (Onychoprion anaethetus)
Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster)
Common Noddy (Anous stolidus)
Crested Tern (Thalasseus bergii)
Flesh-footed Shearwater (Ardenna carneipes)
Greater Frigatebird (Fregata minor)
Lesser Frigatebird (Fregata ariel)
Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra)
Red-footed Booby (Sula sula)
Red-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon rubricauda)
Sooty Tern (Onychoprion fuscata)
Wedge-tailed Shearwater (Ardenna pacifica)
Wilsons Storm Petrel (Oceanites oceanites)

Sharks:
Grey Nurse Shark (Carcharias taurus)
Whale Shark (Rhinocodon typus)
White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias)

Whales:
Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)

The following species have BIA's identified in the North Marine Region: 

Dolphins
Australian Snubfin Dolphin (Orcaella heinsohni)
Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin (Sousa chinensis)
Indo-Pacific/Spotted Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops aduncus)

Marine Turtles
Flatback Turtle (Natator depressus)
Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)
Olive Ridley Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea)

Seabirds
Bridled Tern (Onychoprion anaethetus)
Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster)
Common Noddy (Anous stolidus)
Crested Tern (Thalasseus bergii)
Lesser Crested Tern (Thalasseus bengalensis)
Lesser Frigatebird (Fregata ariel)
Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii)

The following species have BIA's identified in the North-west Marine Region: 

Dolphins 
Australian Snubfin Dolphin (Orcaella heinsohni)
Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin (Sousa chinensis) 
Indo-Pacific/Spotted Bottlenose Dolphin (Turiops aduncus)

Dugong
Dugong (Dugong dugon)

Marine turtles
Flatback Turtle (Natator depressus)
Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) 
Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta)
Olive Ridley Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea)

Sawfish
Dwarf Sawfish (Pristis clavata)
Freshwater Sawfish (Pristis pristis)
Green Sawfish (Pristis zijsron)

Seabirds
Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster)
Fairy Tern (Sternula nereis)
Greater Frigatebird (Fregata minor)
Lesser Crested Tern (Thalasseus bengalensis)
Lesser Frigatebird (Fregata ariel)
Little Tern (Sternula albifrons sinensis)
Red-footed Booby (Sula sula)
Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii)
Wedge-tailed Shearwater (Ardenna pacifica)
White-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon lepturus)

Sharks
Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus)

Whales
Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus)
Pygmy blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda)
Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)
Pygmy Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda)

The following species have BIA's identified in the South-east Marine Region: 

Dolphins
Indo-Pacific/Spotted Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops aduncus)

Seabirds
Antipodean Albatross (Diomedea exulans antipodensis)
Australasian Gannet (Morus serrator)
Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophris)
Black-faced Cormorant (Phalacrocorax fuscescens)
Buller's Albatross (Thalassarche bulleri)
Campbell Albatross (Thalassarche melanophris impavida)
Common Diving-petrel (Pelecanoides urinatrix)
Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross (Thalassarche chlororhynchos bassi)
Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor)
Short-tailed shearwater (Ardenna tenuirostris)
Shy Albatross (Thalassarche cauta cauta)
Soft-plumaged Petrel (Pterodroma mollis)
Sooty Shearwater (Ardenna grisea)
Wandering Albatross (Diomedea exulans (sensu lato))
White-faced Storm-petrel (Pelagodroma marina)
White-fronted Tern (Sterna striata)

Sharks
Grey Nurse Shark (Carcharias taurus)
White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias)

Whales
Pygmy blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda)
Southern Right Whale (Eubalaena australis)

The following species have BIA's identified in the South-west Marine Region: 

Seabirds
Australian Lesser Noddy (Anous tenuirorstris melanops)
Black-faced Cormorant (Phalacrocorax fuscescens)
Bridled Tern (Onychoprion anaethetus)
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)
Common Noddy (Anous stolidus)
Fairy Tern (Sternula nereis)
Flesh-footed Shearwater (Ardenna carneipes)
Great-winged Petrel (macroptera race) (Pterodroma macroptera macroptera)
Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross (Thalassarche chlororhynchos bassi)
Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor)
Little Shearwater (Puffinus assimilis tunneyi)
Pacific Gull (Larus pacificus)
Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii)
Short-tailed Shearwater (Ardenna tenuirostris)
Soft-plumaged Petrel (Pterodroma mollis)
Sooty Tern (Onychoprion fuscata)
Wedge-tailed Shearwater (Ardenna pacifica)

Seals
Australian Sea Lion (Neophoca cinerea)

Sharks
White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias)

Whales
Blue whale  (Balaenoptera musculus)
Pygmy blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda)

Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)
Pygmy Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda)
Southern Right Whale (Eubalaena australis)
Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus)

The following species have BIA's identified in the Temperate East Marine Region:
Dolphins
Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin (Sousa chinensis)
Indo-Pacific/Spotted Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops aduncus)

Marine Turtles:
Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta)

Seabirds:
Antipodean albatross (Diomedea exulans antipodensis)
Black-winged Petrel (Pterodroma nigripennis)
Black Noddy (Anous minutus)
Black Petrel (Procellaria parkinsoni)
Campbell Albatross (Thalassarche melanophris impavida)
Common Noddy (Anous stolidus)
Flesh-footed Shearwater (Ardenna carneipes)
Gould's Petrel (Pterodroma leucoptera leucoptera)
Great-winged Petrel (Pterodroma macroptera)
Grey Ternlet (Procelsterna cerulea)
Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross (Thalassarche chlororhynchos bassi)
Kermadec Petrel (Pterodroma neglecta neglecta)
Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor)
Little Shearwater (Puffinus assimilis)
Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra)
Northern Giant Petrel (Macronectes halli)
Providence Petrel (Pterodroma solandri)
Red-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon ribricauda)
Short-tailed Shearwater (Ardenna tenuirostris)
Sooty Shearwater (Ardenna grisea)
Sooty Tern (Onychoprion fuscata)
Southern Giant Petrel (Macronectes giganteus)
Wandering Albatross (Diomedea exulans (sensu lato))
Wedge-tailed Shearwater (Ardenna pacifica)
White-bellied Storm Petrel (Fregetta grallaria grallaria)
White-necked Petrel (Pterodroma cervicalis)
White Tern (Gygis alba)
Wilsons Storm Petrel (Oceanites oceanicus)

Sharks:
Grey Nurse Shark (Carcharias taurus)
White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias)

Whales:
Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)

Note: A number of BIAs have been extended into neighbouring regions including the Great Barrier Reef. At this stage the polygons are attributed with the region where the majority of the polygon occurs however they may in future be split.

All BIA data can be viewed and accessed via the National Conservation Values Atlas http://www.environment.gov.au/topics/marine/marine-bioregional-plans/conservation-values-atlas and are available under Departmental licence.Data is licenced under the department's restrictive Data Licence Deed
See Data licence
Departmental Deed
© Commonwealth of Australia (Department of the Environment and Energy) 2015

Tags: Downloadable Data, MARINE Biology_Biodiversity, MARINE Biology_Mapping
Organization: Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water