Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2018L00326:front:0:p95
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2018L00326
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 274555–277562

October 2017. The Marine Park is assigned IUCN category VI and includes two zones assigned under this plan: National Park Zone (II) and Special Purpose Zone (VI).
Coordinates for the Jurien Marine Park and zones are provided in Figure S2.13 and Schedule 4.
Statement of significance
The Jurien Marine Park is significant because it includes habitats, species and ecological communities associated with two bioregions: South-west Shelf Transition; and Central Western Province. It includes three key ecological features: ancient coastline between 90 and 120 m depth (valued for relatively high productivity, aggregations of marine life and 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); and western rock lobster (valued as a species that plays a regionally important ecological role).
The Marine Park contains a mixture of tropical species carried south by the Leeuwin Current, and temperate species carried north by the Capes Current. The Marine Park's shelf habitats are defined by distinct ridges of limestone reef with extensive beds of macroalgae. Inshore lagoons are inhabited by a diverse range of invertebrates and fish. Seagrass meadows occur in more sheltered areas as well as in the inter-reef lagoons along exposed sections of the coast.
The Marine Park includes habitats connecting to and complementing the adjacent Western Australian Jurien Bay Marine Park.
Natural values
The Marine Park includes examples of ecosystems representative of:
  * South-west Shelf Transition—consists of 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 bioregion's western edge. The area contains a diversity of tropical and temperate marine life including a large number of endemic fauna species; and
  * Central Western Province—the Marine Park includes a small component of this bioregion, characterised by a narrow continental slope and influenced by the Leeuwin Current.
Key ecological features of the Marine Park are:
  * Ancient coastline between 90 m and 120 m depth—high benthic biodiversity and productivity occur where the ancient coastline forms a prominent escarpment;
  * Demersal slope and associated fish communities of the Central Western Province—an area that provides important habitat for demersal fish communities and is characterised by high species diversity and endemism; and
  * Western rock lobster—plays an important trophic role in many of the inshore ecosystems of the South-west Marine Region. Western rock lobsters are an important part of the food web on the inner shelf, particularly as juveniles.
The Marine Park supports a range of species including species listed as threatened, migratory, marine or cetacean under the EPBC Act. Biologically important