Flinders Commonwealth Marine Reserve facts for kids

The Flinders Commonwealth Marine Reserve is a special ocean area in Australia. It's like a national park, but underwater! This reserve covers a huge space of 27,043 square kilometers. That's bigger than some small countries!

It's located off the coast of north-east Tasmania, in the Tasman Sea. This protected area stretches out to the very edge of Australia's Exclusive Economic Zone. This zone is a special area where Australia has rights to explore and use marine resources. The reserve was created in 2007. It is part of a bigger group of protected areas called the South-east Commonwealth Marine Reserve Network.

This amazing underwater world is home to many different creatures. You can find beautiful lace corals and many kinds of sea sponges here. It's also a home for the huge Tasmanian giant crabs!

A very important part of the reserve is a large underwater mountain called a seamount. Scientists believe this seamount is so deep that no one has ever fished there. Seamounts are like oases in the deep ocean. They often have many different types of habitats. These habitats support a wide variety of deep ocean animals and plants. The large seamounts near Tasmania are especially important. They are expected to have many endemic species. Endemic means these species are found nowhere else in the world!

Protecting the Ocean's Wonders

Most of the Flinders marine reserve is a 'Marine National Park'. This means it's a very highly protected area. It's like a national park on land, but for the ocean! These areas are mainly for protecting nature.

A smaller part of the reserve, closer to the coast, is called a 'Multiple Use' zone. This zone allows some activities, but they are carefully managed. This helps to balance protecting the environment with allowing people to use the ocean.

Here's a simple way to understand what you can and can't do in different parts of the reserve: