Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2018L00322:front:0:p12
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2018L00322
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 31742–34751

2 of this plan.
Figure 2.1 North-west Marine Region
The North-west Marine Parks Network
The North-west Network (Figure 2.2) covers 335,341 km2 and includes 13 marine parks. An overview of the marine parks and their values is provided in Schedule 2.
The North-west Network comprises the following marine parks:
  * Shark Bay Marine Park
  * Carnarvon Canyon Marine Park
  * Ningaloo Marine Park
  * Gascoyne Marine Park
  * Montebello Marine Park
  * Dampier Marine Park
  * Eighty Mile Beach Marine Park
  * Roebuck Marine Park
  * Mermaid Reef Marine Park
  * Argo–Rowley Terrace Marine Park
  * Kimberley Marine Park
  * Ashmore Reef Marine Park
  * Cartier Island Marine Park
Figure 2.2 North-west Marine Parks Network
Values of the North-west Network
Values are broadly defined as:
  * Natural values—habitats, species and ecological communities within marine parks, and the processes that support their connectivity, productivity and function.
  * Cultural values—living and cultural heritage recognising Indigenous beliefs, practices and obligations for country, places of cultural significance and cultural heritage sites.
  * Heritage values—non-Indigenous heritage that has aesthetic, historic, scientific or social significance.
  * Socio-economic values—the benefit of marine parks for people, businesses and the economy.
A summary of the values of the North-west Network is provided in Table 2.1. The values of individual marine parks are set out in Schedule 2. As outlined in Part 1, in managing marine parks, the Director will need to make decisions about what can occur in the marine parks and what actions to take to manage them. This will involve the Director making decisions that carefully balance the need to protect natural, cultural, heritage and socio-economic values of marine parks, with enabling use and managing pressures.
In making these decisions, the Director will carefully consider the impacts and risks to natural, cultural, heritage or socio-economic values for the relevant marine park/s. The Director will also consider any positive impacts associated with allowing an activity, such as socio-economic or cultural benefits, and ensure activities are undertaken in a manner that minimises negative impacts.
For some marine parks, such as the Ashmore Reef Marine Park, there is a relatively strong understanding of park values. Where there is less information, environmental features are used as indicators for the types of species and habitats likely to occur. These include bioregions, water depth, seafloor features, and key ecological features (Schedule 3).
As understanding of marine park values improves over the life of this plan, the Director will make new information about values available on the Parks Australia website. Other important sources of information on values (also on the Department's website) include:
  * Species profile and threats database for protected species;
  * Directory of important wetlands in Australia;
  * Australian heritage database for