An expansion of a marine park near Antarctica means Australia now protects more ocean than any other country on Earth.
Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said the Government had signed off on a 310,000 km2 expansion of the sub-Antarctic Heard and McDonald Islands Marine Park.
Minister Plibersek said for the first time more than half (52 percent) of Australia’s oceans were now under protection.
“This decision cements Australia’s role as a global leader in marine conservation. It is the biggest contribution to ocean conservation anywhere on the planet this year,” she said.
Minister Plibersek said the Heard and McDonald Islands marine reserve would quadruple in size and would provide greater protections for an environment “unlike anywhere else in the world”.
“Heard and McDonald Islands are home to glaciers, wetlands, Australia’s only active volcanoes, and diverse and significant populations of penguins, seals and albatrosses.”
She said the decision came after extensive consultation with researchers, conservationists and the fishing industry.
“The design supports the sustainable, well-established fishery in the region.”
