Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2025L00071:body:0:p14
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2025L00071
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 39728–42852

storytelling helps to preserve and share the Cocos Malay culture, and this ecological knowledge is also an important resource for researching and managing the marine park.

    2.3.3     Social and economic values
The Cocos (Keeling) Islands marine environment and its natural values support a range of important social and economic uses that underpin the livelihoods and wellbeing of many members of the community.
Recreational activities

The marine environment is a place of recreation and relaxation for most Cocos (Keeling) Islanders, with residents and visitors drawn to the water for fishing, boating, canoeing, sailing, paddleboarding, snorkelling, scuba diving, surfing, kitesurfing and swimming.

Commercial activities

The mainstays of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands economy are the government services and the private businesses that help ensure the critical needs of Cocos (Keeling) Islanders are met. Next to these, tourism is the most significant economic activity on the islands, and the marine environment is key to this. Most commercial tour enterprises are focused on the water and include scuba diving, snorkelling, boating, charter fishing, kitesurfing and windsurfing. These marine tourism businesses help to drive the Cocos (Keeling) Islands visitor economy, with flow-on economic benefits for other businesses in the community.
The marine environment also supports local small-scale commercial fishing involving hand collection of high-value aquarium species for export.
Employment, education and research

Management of marine parks generates opportunities for employment for local people and broader opportunities to be involved in research activities. Cocos (Keeling) Islands 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 Cocos (Keeling) Islands for the uniqueness of its environment.
Wellbeing

The marine environment is a significant contributor to the wellbeing of many members of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands community. In a location where land-based recreation opportunities are more limited than in many other places in Australia, many people look to the sea as a wellbeing outlet. Everyone's goal or experience from this is unique, but most gain intangible benefits from their interaction with the sea, not just physical ones.

    2.4           Pressures and drivers in Cocos (Keeling) Islands 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