Australia has recently announced plans to create the world’s largest marine reserve, encompassing 990,000 square kilometres and to be located in the Coral Sea starting at the eastern end of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. It will begin at 60km out from the shore and will then extend as far as 1100 km from the Barrier Reef to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Within the park more than 507,000 square kilometres will be designated as ‘no take’ meaning that fishing of any kind will be banned. At the moment only 1% of the area is protected despite being recognised as both a historical site and as home to an incredible variety of marine life including tuna, sharks and numerous other endangered creatures. In addition the shallow reef systems contain incredible tropical ecosystems packed with sea stars, nautilus, hundreds of thousands of different fish communities as well as soft and hard corals, algae and sponges. The area also features numerous uninhabited islands that host essential nesting sites for seabirds and turtles.

Tony Burke, Australia’s environment minister noted of the plans that:

“Australia’s vast oceans provide a source of food and resources, and are a place of recreation. But we cannot afford to be complacent … In the space of one lifetime, the world’s oceans have gone from being relatively pristine to being under increasing pressure. The environmental significance of the Coral Sea lies in its diverse array of coral reefs, sandy cays, deep sea plains and canyons. It contains more than 20 outstanding examples of isolated tropical reefs, sandy cays and islands.”

The plans have been universally applauded by green groups around the world although some have expressed a desire for the ‘no take’ areas to be larger. Nature.com pointed out that the ‘British government’s reserve around the Chagos islands in the Indian Ocean is 544,000 km2 and is entirely no-take, making it the largest no-take marine reserve in the world’. Nevertheless, most groups accept that the importance lies in strategic placement of the no take areas, so that they are able to function as fish nurseries, allowing spawning and breeding.