Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2018L00322:front:0:p79
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2018L00322
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 227490–230637

the Cape Range Peninsula (valued for unique seafloor features with ecological properties of regional significance); Commonwealth waters adjacent to Ningaloo Reef (valued for high productivity and aggregations of marine life); and continental slope demersal fish communities (valued for high levels of endemism and diversity).
The Marine Park provides connectivity between deeper offshore waters of the shelf break and coastal waters of the adjacent Western Australian Ningaloo Marine Park. It includes some of the most diverse continental slope habitats in Australia, in particular the continental slope area between North West Cape and the Montebello Trough. Canyons in the Marine Park are important for their role in sustaining the nutrient conditions that support the high diversity of Ningaloo Reef.
The Marine Park is located in a transition zone between tropical and temperate waters and sustains tropical and temperate plants and animals, with many species at the limits of their distributions.
Natural values
The Marine Park includes examples of ecosystems representative of:
  * Central Western Shelf Transition—continental shelf of water depths up to 100 m, and a significant transition zone between tropical and temperate species;
  * Central Western Transition—characterised by large areas of continental slope, a range of topographic features such as terraces, rises and canyons, seasonal and sporadic upwelling, and benthic slope communities comprising tropical and temperate species;
  * Northwest Province—an area of continental slope comprising diverse and endemic fish communities; and
  * Northwest Shelf Province—a dynamic environment, influenced by strong tides, cyclonic storms, long-period swells and internal tides. The bioregion includes diverse benthic and pelagic fish communities, and ancient coastline thought to be an important seafloor feature and migratory pathway for humpback whales.
Key ecological features of the Marine Park are:
  * Canyons linking the Cuvier Abyssal Plain and the Cape Range Peninsula—an area resulting in upwelling of nutrient rich water and aggregations of marine life;
  * Commonwealth waters adjacent to Ningaloo Reef—an area where the Leeuwin and Ningaloo currents interact, resulting in enhanced productivity and aggregations of marine life; and
  * Continental slope demersal fish communities—an area of high diversity among demersal fish assemblages on the continental slope.
Ecosystems represented in the Marine Park are influenced by interaction of the Leeuwin Current, Leeuwin Undercurrent and the Ningaloo Current.
The Marine Park supports a range of species including species listed as threatened, migratory, marine or cetacean under the EPBC Act. Biologically important areas within the Marine Park include breeding and or foraging habitat for seabirds, internesting habitat for marine turtles, a migratory pathway for humpback whales, foraging habitat and migratory pathway for pygmy blue whales, breeding, calving, foraging and nursing habitat for dugong and foraging habitat for whale sharks.
Cultural values
Sea country is valued for Indigenous cultural identity, health and