marine conservation – Page 2 – National Parks Association of NSW

Citizen science, DNA tools, and supporting our next generations of marine researchers in NSW

Posted by NPA NSWon February 29, 2024February 29, 2024in Autumn 2024Leave a comment

Dr Joseph DiBattista, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University

Home to the billowing sails of the Opera House and the shimmering arches of the Harbour Bridge, Sydney is famed for its magnificent harbour – but what lies beneath the water’s surface? This information might be up to date for some of the more conspicuous and taxonomically resolved groups of resident animals, such as the fishes of Sydney Harbour (we are now up to 675 known fish species, with 10 more new records added since our scientific publication in Marine Pollution Bulletin in December 2022), but what about the inconspicuous and less resolved animals and plants? Moreover, there are large swaths of Sydney Harbour where we have little documented biodiversity data, even at some of the most frequented swimming beaches or adjacent to some of the most heavily populated suburbs.

Falling short: can NSW meet 30by30 target for marine waters?

Posted by NPA NSWon December 7, 2023December 7, 2023in Summer 2023Leave a comment

David Booth, Professor of Marine Ecology, University of Technology, Sydney

Our report “Creating a World Class Marine Protected Area System: Getting New South Wales Back on Track” was launched in NSW Parliament last week amid bipartisan support and wide community interest. It highlighted the current science behind a marine 30 x 30 push for NSW, why no-take Sanctuaries are vital, why NSW has dropped behind, and what should be done next. You can download the Booth Report here. 

The need to preserve and protect high population underwater ocean zones!

Posted by NPA NSWon December 6, 2023December 7, 2023in Summer 2023Leave a comment

Bill Silvester, Lennox Head

One hot summers day in 1960 four Victorians drove a Holden sedan to Surfers Paradise for a holiday. We did not like what we found there as we were looking for somewhere we could dive and spear fish. Surfers even then was busy and we had nowhere to stay. Bob Hooper and I looked at a map of northern NSW, saw that there were a group of rocks not too far offshore. These rocks looked like an ideal place for a dive.

We had built homemade SCUBA gear back in Melbourne and just needed to find somewhere ideal to use them. The Julian Rocks at Byron Bay beckoned us, so we left the Gold Coast and off to Byron Bay we drove. First finding a low-cost camp site behind the sand dunes at Clarke’s Beach we booked in for the night. At that time a mighty athletic sportsman, Hal Hankin, owned a shoe repair and sports store in Jonson street. He was one of Byron Bay’s most talented long board surfers, but also owned his own boat to go fishing. By luck for us Hal agreed to take us out in his boat and let us SCUBA dive the Julian Rocks but only at 6:30am the next day. A warm morning with just a light northerly breeze blowing, Hal drove his boat to The Julian Rocks to then anchor at the reef known as the Nursery. Hal pointed eastwards to a place he called the Cod Hole and indicated that it was there where all the big fish were. We took spearguns and swam in the appointed direction.

Marine campaign update Spring 2023

Posted by NPA NSWon August 31, 2023August 31, 2023in Spring 2023Leave a comment

Danielle Ryan, NPA NSW Conservation Campaigner

A new policy era for marine — growing appetite for marine advocacy

NPA NSW is keen to seize on the incumbent government’s objectives to deliver the 30×30 target and growing community aspirations for the creation of more marine sanctuaries. This campaign update details the rise of Ocean Legend and filmmaker Valerie Taylor’s String of Pearls campaign and the newly created Friends of Bongin Bongin, a collective of swimmer groups who formed earlier in the year to create a proposal for a marine sanctuary in Mona Vale, after witnessing a decline in fish in the area.

Parsley Bay – an eastern suburbs gem under threat

Posted by NPA NSWon December 1, 2022January 25, 2023in Summer 2022, UncategorizedLeave a comment

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Nicole McMahon, NPA member

In this article I would like to acknowledge The Traditional owners being the Gadigal and Birrabirragal people.

For the past 5 years, I have enjoyed learning and making lifelong friendships with fantastic people as a Bushcare volunteer for Woollahra Council at Parsley Bay and a Sydney-based NPA member.

Parsley Bay is one of my favourite places, and a treasured spot in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. A place of many celebrations, gatherings, picnics, and beach activity, where children play and laugh and have many great adventures. It is a much-loved area by the whole community.

The Challenge of 30 by 30

Posted by NPA NSWon August 31, 2022in Spring 2022Leave a comment

Ross McDonnell, Convenor, NPA Landscape Conservation Forum

The NPA’s Landscape Conservation Forum (LCF) recognises the challenge ahead for NSW if it is to make an equitable contribution to the evolving Commonwealth Government policy of achieving ’30 by 30’. Articles in this Journal by WWF’s Dr Stuart Blanch and NPA’s Dr Ross Jeffree focus on the National Reserve System and the supporting economic context, but a considerable challenge exists on how NSW develops and implements a suitable response.

Broadly speaking, it will come down to what types of protection and management measures will be counted as contributing to a 30% target, and will there be a coordinated NSW approach?

For NPA a consideration is how does it focus its advocacy role in support of ’30 by 30’. The LCF, in considering this, has focused on promoting a broadening of the IUCN’s protected area classifications to include areas (land and waters) where the rehabilitation and restoration of natural values is required. The ’30 by 30’ target can also be legitimately met if it includes appropriately managed Crown Lands such as travelling stock routes, road reserves or verges with known natural values, and Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs). In addition, a significant contribution would occur if NSW followed Victoria and Western Australia and ceased forestry in native forests and those areas were transferred to NPWS management.

Read More “The Challenge of 30 by 30”