Ningaloo Marine Park (Commonwealth waters)

Australian marine park west of the Ningaloo Coast of Western Australia

Ningaloo Marine Park

IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)

Male whale shark, about 6 metres (20 ft) long

Map showing the Ningaloo Marine Park. The shaded area is a National Park Zone ('no take' zone).[1]

Location| Australia
Coordinates| 22°37′09″S 113°32′46″E﻿ / ﻿22.6191°S 113.5461°E﻿ / -22.6191; 113.5461[2]
Area| 2,435 km2 (940 sq mi)
Established| 20 May 1987
Operator| Parks Australia
Website| parksaustralia.gov.au/marine/parks/north-west/ningaloo/

The Ningaloo Marine Park (formerly known as the Ningaloo Commonwealth Marine Reserve) is an Australian marine park offshore of Western Australia, and west of the Ningaloo Coast.[3][4] The marine park covers an area of 2,435 km2 (940 sq mi) and is assigned IUCN category IV. It is one of the 13 parks managed under the North-west Marine Parks Network.[5]

A marine park of the same name lies directly east, but is managed by the Department of Parks and Wildlife of Western Australia.

## Conservation values

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### Species and habitat

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* Has a high abundance of Manta Rays within lagoons and outer reef areas.[6]
* Foraging areas for vulnerable and migratory whale sharks.
* Foraging areas and adjacent to important nesting sites for marine turtles.
* Includes part of the migratory pathway of the protected humpback whale.[7]

### Bioregions and ecology

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The reserve includes shallow shelf environments and provides protection for shelf and slope habitats, as well as pinnacle and terrace seafloor features. Examples of the seafloor habitats and communities of the Central Western Shelf Transition provincial bioregion.[7]

### Conservation Issues

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Climate change is of high concern within this marine park due to effects such as ocean acidification, flooding, storms, and increased wave energy.[6]

## History

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The marine park was originally proclaimed under the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1975 on 20 May 1987 as the Ningaloo Marine Park (Commonwealth Waters). The marine park was proclaimed under the EPBC Act on 14 December 2013 as a Commonwealth Marine Reserve and renamed Ningaloo Marine Park on 9 October 2017.[5]

## Summary of protection zones

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The Ningaloo Marine Park has been assigned IUCN protected area category IV. However, within the marine park there are two protection zones, each zone has an IUCN category and related rules for managing activities to ensure the protection of marine habitats and species.[5]

The following table is a summary of the zoning rules within the Ningaloo Marine Park:[5]

Zone  | IUCN  | Activities permitted  | Total area
(km2)

|
|
|

Vessel transiting  | Recreational fishing  | Commercial fishing  | Commercial aquaculture  | Commercial tourism  | Mining
National Park | II  | Yes  | No  | No  | No  | excludes fishing, with approval  | No  | 36,050
Recreational Use | II  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | No  | excludes fishing, with approval  | No  | 1,170
External link: Zoning and rules for the North-west Marine Parks Network

## See also

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* Australia portal
* Environment portal

* Protected areas managed by the Australian government

## References

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1. ^ Map data: Sanctuary IUCN Ia and National Park IUCN II zones ('no take' zones) from Australian Marine Parks, (2018) Australian Government Department of the Environment and Energy. CC BY 4.0. http://www.environment.gov.au/fed/catalog/search/resource/details.page?uuid={CD8877F3-8C39-4A20-A53F-070FBEE5AF3C}
2. ^ "Relation: Ningaloo Marine Park (8426821)". OpenStreetMap. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
3. ^ Australian Government Department of the Environment and Energy (2018). Ningaloo Marine Park (PDF) (Map). Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
4. ^ "Ningaloo Marine Park (Commonwealth Waters)" (PDF). Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. June 2009. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
5. ^ a b c d "North-west Marine Parks Network Management Plan 2018" (PDF). Parks Australia. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
6. ^ a b "Ningaloo Coast, Australia", Dictionary of Geotourism, Singapore: Springer Singapore, p. 439, 11 November 2019, doi:10.1007/978-981-13-2538-0_1746, ISBN 978-981-13-2537-3, retrieved 11 February 2021
7. ^ a b "Ningaloo Commonwealth Marine Reserve". environment.gov.au. © Commonwealth of Australia (CC BY 3.0 AU). Retrieved 17 August 2018.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ningaloo Marine Park (Commonwealth waters).

* Official website
* North-west Marine Parks Network - Parks Australia
* North-west Marine Parks Network - environment.gov.au (outdated)

* v
* t
* e

Protected areas managed by the Australian Government

Botanical gardens & national parks|

| Botanical gardens|

* Australian National Botanic Gardens

|

National parks|

* Booderee
* Christmas Island
* Kakadu
* Norfolk Island
* Pulu Keeling
* Uluru-Kata Tjuta

Australian marine parks|

| South-west Marine Park Network|

* Abrolhos
* Jurien
* Two Rocks
* Perth Canyon
* Geographe
* South-west Corner
* Eastern Recherche
* Twilight
* Bremer
* Great Australian Bight
* Murat
* Western Eyre
* Western Kangaroo Island
* Southern Kangaroo Island

|

North-west Marine Park Network|

* Carnarvon Canyon
* Shark Bay
* Gascoyne
* Ningaloo
* Montebello
* Dampier
* Rowley Shoals
* Eighty Mile Beach
* Argo-Rowley Terrace
* Mermaid Reef
* Roebuck
* Kimberley
* Ashmore Reef
* Cartier Island

North Marine Park Network|

* Oceanic Shoals
* Joseph Bonaparte Gulf
* Arafura
* Arnhem
* Wessel
* Limmen
* Gulf of Carpentaria
* West Cape York

Coral Sea Marine Park|

* Coral Sea

Temperate East Marine Park Network|

* Jervis
* Hunter
* Cod Grounds
* Solitary Islands
* Central Eastern
* Gifford
* Lord Howe
* Norfolk

South-east Marine Parks Network|

* Apollo
* Beagle
* Boags
* East Gippsland
* Flinders
* Franklin
* Freycinet
* Huon
* Macquarie Island
* Murray
* Nelson
* South Tasman Rise
* Tasman Fracture
* Zeehan

Commonwealth Marine Reserves|

* Heard Island and McDonald Islands Commonwealth Marine Reserve

Marine parks|

* Great Barrier Reef Marine Park

Antarctic Specially Protected Areas|

* Amanda Bay
* Ardery Island and Odbert Island
* Clark Peninsula
* Frazier Islands
* Hawker Island
* Marine Plain
* Mawson's Huts
* North-eastern Bailey Peninsula
* Rookery Islands
* Scullin and Murray Monoliths
* Stornes
* Taylor Rookery

Reserves held in trust|

* Calperum Station (reserve)
* Taylorville Station (reserve)

Managing authorities|

* Director of National Parks (Parks Australia)
* Australian Antarctic Division
* Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority

Related topics|

* Protected areas of Australia
* Biosphere reserves in Australia
* A Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia
* Indigenous Protected Area
* National Reserve System
* Ramsar sites in Australia
* World Heritage Sites in Oceania

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