NSW Marine Management progress

The NSW Government is improving the management of our precious marine estate with the launch of a new Threat and Risk Assessment Framework.

Minister for Primary Industries, Niall Blair, and Minister for the Environment, Mark Speakman, have released new guidelines on how the NSW Government will assess the threats and risks to our marine estate.

"Last year, an historic bill passed the NSW Parliament to make sure the state’s marine estate is managed based on science and not politics," Mr Blair said.

"This is the first step in implementing this Marine Estate Management Act 2014, which sets out a robust legal requirement to assess economic, social and environmental threats, such as pollution, loss of biodiversity, restricted access, anti-social behaviour, and impacts of pests and diseases.

"This framework, developed by the Marine Estate Management Authority with expert guidance from the Marine Estate Expert Knowledge Panel, is at the heart of the NSW Liberals & Nationals Government’s new era in marine estate management."

Mr Speakman said the framework will consider not only the imminent threats to our coasts and marine waters, but also the cumulative impacts and potential threats over the coming decades.

"This will allow the NSW Government to focus its efforts around the key threats to the marine environment, and deliver on its vision for a healthy coast and sea," Mr Speakman said.

"We are committed to managing our marine environment for the greatest well-being of the community, now and into the future."

THREATS, RISKS, THE SYDNEY REGION
Initially the framework will be applied to two key projects: a state-wide Marine Estate Threat and Risk Assessment; and the Hawkesbury Shelf Marine Bioregion Assessment, covering the area from Newcastle to Shellharbour.

The community is encouraged to have their say about both of these projects and the framework in the coming months, and the Authority may refine the framework over time after it has been applied to the first two projects.

The Ministers also today launched an interactive web portal to allow the community to have input into the Hawkesbury Shelf Marine Bioregion Assessment by providing local information on benefits and threats associated with their favourite sites within the bioregion.

The NSW Government is now seeking crucial information from the public regarding sites within the bioregion, the benefits they gain from their use of these sites, and what they see as key threats and ideas on how to manage those threats.

Along with expert input, the information people provide will help identify management options to enhance marine biodiversity conservation whilst maximising community benefits.

ELEVEN PRIORITY SITES
Eleven sites in the Hawkesbury marine bioregion have already been identified for priority assessment and the community is invited to nominate additional sites via the web portal that they would like to see considered:
>> Barrenjoey Head (an existing Aquatic Reserve)
>> Bouddi National Park Marine Extension
>> Bronte-Coogee (an existing Aquatic Reserve)
>> Cape Banks (an existing Aquatic Reserve)
>> Chowder Bay
>> Long Reef (an existing Aquatic Reserve)
>> Narrabeen Head (an existing Aquatic Reserve)
>> North Harbour (an existing Aquatic Reserve)
>> North Harbour extension – Manly Wharf and Manly Cove
>> Magic Point, Malabar
>> Wybung Head

The web portal, framework and more information can be accessed at http://www.marine.nsw.gov.au/.