Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2018L00326:front:0:p97
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2018L00326
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 279942–283063

significance
The Abrolhos Marine Park is significant because it contains habitats, species and ecological communities associated with four bioregions: Central Western Province; Central Western Shelf Province; Central Western Transition; and South-west Shelf Transition. It includes seven key ecological features: the Commonwealth marine environment surrounding the Houtman Abrolhos Islands (valued for high levels of biodiversity and endemism); demersal slope and associated fish communities of the Central Western Province (valued as a species group that are nationally or regionally important to biodiversity); mesoscale eddies (valued for high productivity and aggregations of marine life); Perth Canyon and adjacent shelf break, and other west-coast canyons (valued for high biological productivity and aggregations of marine life, and unique seafloor features with ecological properties of regional significance); western rock lobster (valued as a species that plays a regionally important ecological role); ancient coastline between 90 m and 120 m depth (valued for relatively high productivity, aggregations of marine life and high levels of biodiversity and endemism); and Wallaby Saddle (valued for high productivity and aggregations of marine life).
The southern shelf component of the Marine Park partially surrounds the Western Australian Houtman Abrolhos Islands Nature Reserve. The islands and surrounding reefs are renowned for their high level of biodiversity, due to the southward movement of species by the Leeuwin Current. The Marine Park contains a number of seafloor features including the Houtman Canyon, the second largest submarine canyon on the west coast (the Perth Canyon being the largest).
Natural values
The Marine Park includes examples of ecosystems representative of:
  * Central Western Province—characterised by a narrow continental slope incised by many submarine canyons and the most extensive area of continental rise in any of Australia's marine regions. A significant feature within the area are several eddies that form off the Leeuwin Current at predictable locations, including west of the Houtman Abrolhos Islands;
  * Central Western Shelf Province—a predominantly flat, sandy and low nutrient area, in water depths between 50 and 100 m. Significant seafloor features of this area include a deep hole and associated area of banks and shoals offshore of Kalbarri. The area is a transitional zone between tropical and temperate species;
  * Central Western Transition—a deep ocean area characterised by large areas of continental slope, a range of significant seafloor features including the Wallaby Saddle, seasonal and sporadic upwelling, and benthic slope communities comprising tropical and temperate species; and
  * South-west Shelf Transition—a narrow continental shelf that is noted for its physical complexity. The Leeuwin Current has a significant influence on the biodiversity of this nearshore area as it pushes subtropical water southward along the area's western edge. The area contains a diversity of tropical and temperate marine life including a large number of