Photo © WPSQ

Wildlife Queensland had a positive meeting with the Hon. Kate Jones, Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability to press the need for urgent action to honour the Beattie promise for border to border marine parks for Queensland. We are now aware that the Government is currently undertaking marine planning in the Gulf and working very closely with the Traditional Owners. Wildlife Queensland hopes that the current actions are more rapid than those of the past.

Wildlife Queensland expressed the need for significant protective measures around the Wellesley Islands of the southern Gulf. This island group provides nationally significant feeding, resting, breeding and nursery grounds for marine life including protected species such as brown boobies and lesser frigatebirds, streaked shearwaters, green and flatback turtles, spotted bottlenose dolphins and dugongs.

Wildlife Queensland also expressed the need for protection in other key areas such as the Western Cape and Torres Strait. We discussed the need for green zones to be based on scientific best practise.
 
Wildlife Queensland raised concerns that there is an urgent need for increased research effort into the ecological and cultural values of the marine and coastal ecosystems of the Gulf and Torres Strait.

The need to not only fill in the gaps but extend green zones within our existing marine parks was also raised.

Wildlife Queensland intends to work closely with DERM staff throughout the marine planning process in the Gulf.

More Information:

• Marine Parks along the Queensland Coast - June 2010
• The forgotten Gulf and Torres Strait – protect all our marine life - April 2010
• Call for action on border to border marine parks along Queensland coast - April 2010

For more information on Wildlife Queensland's activities, call us on +61 7 3221 0194 or send us an email.