Protecting Our Oceans, Two Marine Parks at a Time!

Off the coast of Western Australia, there will be two new marine parks, home to a vast number of endemic species, to protect in a more effective way the pristine environment and crucial biodiversity this area offers.

“Today’s announcement is a strong reminder of the need to protect our oceans, as these two marine parks join a network of 60 Commonwealth marine parks around Australia, spanning more than 4-million square kilometers — a staggering 45% of Australia’s waters,” says Minister for Environment Susan Ley.

The 744,000-square-kilometer parks are located off Christmas Island – which constitutes the tip of a 5,000-meter submarine volcano where hundreds of fish species thrive – and Cocos (Keeling) Islands, some 2,000 kilometers off the coast of Western Australia in the Indian Ocean. In this critical area lives the blue fine tuna, a species targeted by illegal international fishermen, so the establishment of the marine parks is a solution to protect the waters from big industrial fisheries. Co-designed with the local community, the marine parks become a way for their members to maintain their sustainable local food source and way of life.