Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2013L00289:body:0:p34
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2013L00289
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 104411–107859

A, B, C, D, E, F, G                  1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 4.1                B.1: Measuring and monitoring population recovery                                            Very High
1, 2, 3, 5         D, F                                 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 5.2           B.2: Investigating two-population model                                                      High
3, 4, 5            A, B, C, D, E, F, G                  3.3, 4.1, 5.1, 5.2                               B.3: Understanding offshore distribution and migration                                       High
1, 2, 3, 4, 5      A, B, D, E, F                        1.1, 2.1, 2.2, 3.3, 4.1, 5.1, 5.2                B.4: Characterising behaviour and movements                                                  High

Existing management actions
Australia has a long-standing commitment to the conservation and management of cetaceans. While this plan focuses on actions to be undertaken to improve the recovery of southern right whales, it is important to recognise the context of existing international agreements and national mitigation / management measures that are important to southern right whale recovery. These include:

      * Combating climate change - meeting Australia's international commitments for the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and ensuring any new research linking impacts of climate change and / or climate variability on southern right whale is provided to relevant sections within the Australian Government and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

      * International Whaling Commission (IWC) - ensuring that southern right whales receive appropriate levels of protection outside Australian waters through involvement in the IWC and improving understanding and management of all southern hemisphere right whale populations.

      * Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) - monitoring and managing the potential impacts of prey depletion due to over-harvesting and supporting regional ecosystem approaches to krill management.

      * Australian Whale Sanctuary - maintaining the legislative protection afforded to southern right whales by the Australian Whale Sanctuary.

      * Marine bioregional planning - increasing our understanding and improving our management of Australia's unique marine environment as well as improving the way decisions are made under the EPBC Act. For example, each bioregional plan will describe regional conservation values, including threatened species such as the southern right whale thereby contributing to their recovery and protection by supporting strategic, consistent and informed decision making and providing a framework for strategic intervention and investment by government. Importantly, the plans will contribute towards a more preventive approach to managing the environmental impacts of human activities. People planning to undertake activities within a marine region can use the information provided in marine bioregional plans and supporting information tools to determine how to mitigate the potential environmental impacts of their proposal and whether their proposal should be referred in accordance with the EPBC Act.

      * Marine reserves - ensuring that southern right whale habitat requirements are considered in the establishment and management of marine conservation areas and reserves through the Commonwealth marine