Australia lives up to its name as the land of sun, surf and sea, with a whopping 85 per cent of Aussies living within 50 kilometres of the coast. Hugged by the Pacific, Indian and Southern Oceans, these vast waters are part of our island continent’s DNA. Now, in a major conservation milestone, more than half of Australia’s surrounding oceans are under protection – more than anywhere else in the entire world.
In October, Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek announced a landmark decision to quadruple the size of the Heard and McDonald Islands Marine Park – located 4,000 kilometres southwest of Perth – adding a whopping 310,000 square kilometres to its protected area. This major expansion means that for the first time in history, 52 per cent of Australia’s oceans are under protection, far surpassing the 30 per cent conservation goal set as part of a UN nature treaty in 2022.
Last year, the Albanese Government made waves in ocean conservation by tripling the size of Macquarie Island Marine Park – another sub-Antarctic wildlife park about 1,500 kilometres southeast of Tasmania – marking the largest ocean conservation initiative on Earth in 2023. Building on this momentum, the conservation plans for the Heard and McDonald Islands are set to make 2024 another record year, with the addition of habitat protection zones and national park areas encompassing a total size larger than Italy.
The Heard and McDonald Islands are considered by scientists to be among the least disturbed places on Earth by humans. The Islands are home to glaciers, wetlands and Australia’s only active volcanoes, along with diverse populations of penguins, seals and albatrosses. While the recent conservation efforts are a huge step in the right direction to protect our planet, scientists and environmental groups have raised concerns that some important habitats for these species were not adequately safeguarded within the sanctuary zones. They also flagged the need for sufficient funding to ensure the long-term preservation of Australia’s oceans for future generations.