Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2025L00070:body:0:p11
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2025L00070
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 32001–35172

uses that underpin the prosperity and wellbeing of many members of the Christmas Island community.

Recreational activities

The marine environment provides a source of recreation and relaxation, with residents and visitors drawn to the ocean for fishing, boating, kayaking, sailing, paddleboarding, snorkelling, scuba diving, free-diving, wildlife watching and swimming.

Commercial activities

The marine environment is a popular attraction for many visitors. Commercial scuba diving and snorkelling tours, as well as free-diving courses, help to drive Christmas Island's visitor economy, with flow-on economic benefits for the whole of the community. The marine environment also supports local small-scale commercial fishing, as described in Section 2.3.2 (Cultural values).

Image: Batfish (ikan tempayan) are a popular attraction for scuba divers at Christmas Island (Udo Van Dongen)

Wellbeing

The marine environment significantly contributes to the community's wellbeing by providing members of the community with essential food, as well as opportunities for mindfulness and relaxation. Each person's goal or experience from their interaction with the ocean will be different, but many report gaining intangible benefits, not just physical ones.

Employment, education and research

Management of marine parks generates opportunities for employment for local people and broader opportunities to be involved in research activities. The Christmas Island Marine Park supports education and research activities – for example, education and engagement opportunities for the local school, community members and visitors; and research to identify and protect park values.

The marine park also offers opportunities for nationally and internationally significant research by individuals and research institutions already attracted to Christmas Island for the uniqueness of its environment.

     1.            Pressures and drivers in Christmas Island Marine Park

Pressures are events and activities – often human driven – that may impact negatively on marine park values. Some pressures can be mitigated by management actions, but others, such as those associated with climate change, cannot always be addressed by park management.

Drivers are phenomena which can influence the state or condition of values and benefits and in some cases may also influence pressures. Drivers can be divided into biophysical, and social and economic categories. Biophysical drivers are mostly of natural origin and are not easily influenced by management actions. Examples include natural variations in climate and weather patterns and ocean currents and tides. Social and economic drivers are usually of human origin. Some management actions can have an influence, such as promoting environmental awareness or compliance with regulations.

Key pressures on Christmas Island Marine Park are outlined below. Chapter 3 outlines a range of priorities and actions that will be taken to address pressures and Chapter 4 outlines how different activities will be managed in the marine park in the context of these pressures. However, the Director also recognises that management actions