INTRODUCTION The Victorian marine and coastal environment is an area recognised for its outstanding natural beauty, unique and diverse marine biota and valuable resources. It offers significant natural, cultural, social and economic values to all Victorians and visitors to this State. The Victorian Government is committed to ensuring that the values of the marine and coastal environment are protected for future generations through policies that provide for a balance of ecologically sustainable uses. In June 2002, historic legislation was passed to establish 13 Marine National Parks and 11 Marine Sanctuaries. Victoria is the first jurisdiction in the world to create an entire system of highly protected Marine National Parks at the same time. This Strategy applies to all highly protected Marine National Parks and Sanctuaries in Victoria, and has been prepared to provide clear and consistent direction for planning and management programs over the next eight years. This period allows three years to produce management plans for these areas. The plans will remain in place for at least five years, at which time the need for a review will be considered. PURPOSE OF THE STRATEGY The purpose of the Strategy is to provide strategic guidance to managers, planners, researchers and the community about the implementation of the Marine National Parks and Sanctuaries. It draws on State legislation and policy, and national and international best practice principles and guidelines for the management of highly protected Marine National Parks. The Strategy also encourages involvement of the community and integration with existing government programs and initiatives. Emphasis in the Strategy has been placed on appreciating the diversity of values associated with highly protected Marine National Parks and Sanctuaries, key challenges and how they will be addressed. Key Performance Areas for the Strategy are grouped under the following themes: Protecting Natural Values Protecting and Recognising Cultural Values Community Engagement Recreation, Tourism and Visitor Management Environmental Research and Monitoring. Common purple urchin Heliocidaris erythrogramma. (Photography Matt Edmunds). Cowrie snail Cypraea comptoni. (Photography William Boyle).
canopy, such as Acrocarpia paniculata, Perithalia caudata, Ecklonia radiata, Seirococcus axillaris and Cystophora platylobium. Understorey species are also more abundant, and include fleshy red species such as Melanthalia obtusata, Phacelocarpus peperocarpus, Ballia callitricha, Pterocladia lucida, Plocamium angustum and Plocamium dilatum, small green algae such as Caulerpa flexilis, and encrusting and erect coralline species. These understorey species are also abundant in open patches of reef between clumps of Phyllospora.
PROTECTING AND MAINTAINING THE SYSTEM Victorians are fortunate to have marine environments in relatively good health compared with other regions around the world. However, we must recognise that human activities on both sea and land can put pressure on the health and integrity of the marine environment, and cause loss or damage to natural values. Pressures on Victoria’s marine environments include urban, agricultural, industrial and shipping pollution, excessive sedimentation, physical disturbance, over-harvesting and the introduction of exotic organisms. While some of these pressures originate from and can be managed within the boundaries of Marine National Parks and Sanctuaries, other pressures originate externally. For this reason the management of the system must also involve understanding and working cooperatively with other managers and the community, in order to identify risks and develop strategies for ensuring the protection and improvement of the broader marine and estuarine environment. Key challenges and issues associated with the protection of the natural values of Marine National Parks and Sanctuaries are: preventing and managing incursions of marine exotic species; developing enforcement and education strategies to ensure compliance and reduce illegal harvesting of marine species, and to minimise other illegal activities such as dumping of vessel waste; planning for the risk of marine incidents such as oil spills, cetacean strandings and new marine exotic pest incursions, and building our capacity to respond to them; ensuring that appropriate levels of environmental assessment are undertaken by responsible coastal and catchment managers with respect to existing and future planning, infrastructure and development proposals that may have an impact on Marine National Parks and Sanctuaries; increasing our understanding of vulnerable marine habitats such as seagrass beds, mangroves and saltmarshes, and threatened marine species; integrating with existing risk management processes and decision support systems to help set priorities to protect Marine National Parks and Sanctuaries; and managing for an acceptable range of visitor uses (see Recreation, Tourism and Visitor Management, pages 89–97). Western blue devilfish Paraplesiops meleagris. (Photography William Boyle). Sponges and red mullet vlamingii. Mary Malloy).
KEY PERFORMANCE AREA 1 Envir onmental management fr amework IDENTIFY AND ASSESS CONDITION OF NATURAL VALUES What are the most dominant and significant natural values? Which are the most sensitive to threats? NATURAL VALUES IDENTIFY DESIRABLE CONDITION IDENTIFY AND ASSESS THREATS TO NATURAL VALUES – Which threats pose the greatest risk to natural values? THREAT MANAGEMENT EVALUATION Assess the success of management actions in managing threats. Assess the trend in condition to check that priority threats are being identified. SET MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES AND IMPLEMENT MANAGEMENT ACTIONS Actions developed to ameliorate threats.
MARINE PESTS The introduction of marine pests threatens the integrity of marine biodiversity and may reduce the social and economic benefits derived from the marine environment. Most marine pests known from Victorian waters are limited to Port Phillip. Species of particular concern include the northern Pacific seastar (Asterias amurensis), marine fanworm (Sabella spallanzanii), Japanese kelp (Undaria pinnatifida) and broccoli weed (Codium fragile ssp. tomentosoides). Various human activities can lead to the introduction of marine pests to new areas. They include the discharge of ships’ ballast water and the dislocation of fouling organisms from the hulls of ships, small vessels or aquaculture equipment. Many of these activities require national and international action by industry, government and non- government organisations, along with action. Prevention is better than cure; therefore the priority is to reduce the risk of new introductions. To date, attempts to eradicate marine pests after they have become established have been successful only in limited circumstances. Some eradication techniques, such as physical removal by hand or machine, need to be carefully considered, as they can make the situation worse. In the case of broccoli weed for example, physical removal can promote the spread of this pest to other areas, because this species can fully regenerate from small fragments of tissue that may be dislodged or left behind on rocks or pylons during removal. Nothern Pacific seastar Asterias amorensis is a marine pest thought to have invaded Port Phillip in the late 1990s. (Photography Department of Sustainability and Environment). The marine fanworm Sabella spallanzanii is a marine pest that has invaded many parts of southern Australia. (Photography Department of Sustainability and Environment).
Marine education planning A Marine National Parks and Marine Sanctuaries Education Plan will be developed to increase community understanding and appreciation of the values, diversity and sensitivity of coastal areas and marine environments by leading integrated community outreach and curriculum- driven programs for Marine National Parks and Sanctuaries. This Plan will be developed by managers, community groups and stakeholders associated with Marine National Parks and Sanctuaries. Highlights of the Plan will include: a review of previous successful (and unsuccessful) community education strategies related to the protection and conservation of the marine environment; options for specialised training and materials appropriately targeted for park staff, community leaders, peak body representatives, teachers and other reference points for the community; understanding community needs for marine education at a regional and local level through consultation; and identification of opportunities for innovative research, curriculum development, and integration with related Commonwealth and State marine education programs. Consultation will be an important process for decision-making and understanding community views and aspirations. (Photography Parks Victoria). COMMUNITY CONSULTATION Community consultation is a two-way process that shares and analyses information and gives guidance in making. Understanding community attitudes towards and expectations for Victoria’s system of Marine National Parks and Sanctuaries will be vital for the implementation of this strategy. Community consultation directly contributes to the management of the system by: giving insights into community expectations for the conservation and use of Marine National Parks and Sanctuaries, for input into management decision- making; and assessing the community’s understanding of issues to target education programs better, and where necessary developing new strategies or programs to address community views. Community consultation is also important in developing performance and satisfaction indicators related to the management of the system, thus ensuring accountability. As people become more informed about marine issues their expectations for marine environmental policy and implementation are likely to change. Marine environmental managers must ensure that management approaches based on community expectations are monitored to ensure that those approaches continue to be relevant. Opportunities for the community to be actively consulted about decisions that impact on Victoria’s Marine National Parks and Sanctuaries are an important part of their long- term acceptance in local and regional communities. Through these processes, communities will begin to develop a sense of ownership, and will be far more likely to become advocates for, and custodians of, these areas. Management framework Management agencies will inform, listen and respond to communities, organisations and
RECREA TION, T OURISM AND VISIT OR MANAGEMENT Marine National Parks and Marine Sanctuaries provide quality recreational opportunities which are of great benefit to the health and well-being of our community. Marine National Parks and Marine Sanctuaries provide quality recreational opportunities which are of great benefit to the health and well-being of our community. Victoria’s system of Marine National Parks and Marine Sanctuaries provides a significant additional natural attraction for visitors to the parks and reserves estate. The system provides for a broad range of recreation and tourism opportunities for visitors to explore, enjoy, learn about and appreciate the wonders of the marine environment, and complements and enhances existing marine and coastal recreation opportunities. Appropriate recreation and tourism use contributes to the physical and mental well-being of individuals and the social, economic and environmental well-being of the community. Recreation and tourism activities The marine and coastal environment is highly valued for passive and active recreation. Many coastal areas experience huge increases in population during peak holiday periods as millions of visitors flock to the beach and hinterland to participate in land and water-based activities. Recreation and tourism activities often involve a high degree of self-organisation and independence. Tourism activities involve away-from-home visits and often involve the purchase of recreation services, such as those provided by licensed tour operators and other businesses. Popular recreation and tourism activities include: boating diving dolphin swim tours guided sightseeing and interpretive tours motorised boat tours nature observation and sightseeing photography rock pool rambling sea kayaking snorkelling surfboarding and surf education swimming wind surfing. The Twelve Apostles Marine National Park is an international tourism icon. (Photography Parks Victoria). Sustainable tourism development and promotion associated with Marine National Parks and Sanctuaries can contribute to greater awareness and understanding of marine conservation values and foster community pride. Tourism activities can be independent or guided but generally reflect a participant's desire for new leisure experiences in different destinations and environments. High levels of tourism services are provided in many coastal areas and contribute significantly to the local and state economy. Product development and marketing are key components supporting tourism activity. Marketing the attractive and interesting values of Marine National Parks and Sanctuaries will encourage visitation and exploration of the marine world and is likely to lead to increased curiosity and interest in the marine environment.
REPORTING Strategic objectives outlined in this Strategy will be assessed and reported across key performance areas under the following themes: Protecting Natural Values Protecting and Recognising Cultural Values Community Engagement Recreation, Tourism and Visitor Management Environmental Research and Monitoring. An important aspect of reporting will be to ensure that our assessment process is transparent and open, with results available to local communities, stakeholders and the Victorian Government. Regular public reporting Through the management planning consultation process, Parks Victoria will be seeking public input into preferred approaches for transparent public reporting and communication. This will involve: identifying the needs and type of performance indicators that different audiences require; identifying suitable media for disseminating this information; linking results back to education programs, training and development; and seeking ongoing feedback on the usefulness of the information that is reported and disseminated. Progress on implementing the Strategy and related information on the Marine National Parks and Sanctuaries program will be reported through ParkWeb, and through periodic communication bulletins. Senator wrasse Picitlabrus laticlavius. (Photograph William Boyle). Black-lipped abalone Haliotis rubra. (Photography William Boyle).
Foster Port Toora Toora Welshpool Fish Creek Franklin Beach Foster Beach Corner Inlet Marine and Coastal Park Beach Welshpool Nooramunga Marine and Coastal Park Sunday Island Sandy Yanakie Doughboy Island Duck Point Granite Island Corner Inlet Marine National Park Bennison Mount Singapore Tin Mine Hill Snake Island Shallow Inlet Marine and Coastal Park Long Island Barry Hill Millers Landing Rabbit Island Wilsons Promontory Marine Park Island Tongue Point Darby Promontory National Park Promontory Marine Park Five Mile Beach Norman Island Bay Tidal River Sealers Cove Most northerly point of Great Glennie Island on HWM Great Glennie Island Dannevig Island Citadel Island Mc Hugh Island Pillar Point Oberon Bay Mt Oberon Cape Park Marine and Coastal Park (Fishing is permitted subject to Fisheries and Park regulations) Marine Park Marine Park Zone (Line boundary marker (Triangular Beacon) In water boundary marker (Pile or Buoy) Cleft Is Anser Island Kanowna Island Wattle Island National Park and Reserves Boat access point Lighthouse