Kimberley Marine Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kimberley Marine Park |
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IUCN Category VI (Managed Resource Protected Area)
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| Location | Australia |
| Area | 74,469 km2 (28,753 sq mi) |
| Established | 1 July 2018 |
| Operator | Parks Australia |
| Website | https://parksaustralia.gov.au/marine/parks/north-west |
The Kimberley Marine Park is a special ocean area off the coast of Western Australia, near the Kimberley region. It used to be called the Kimberley Commonwealth Marine Reserve. This huge park was created in 2013 and covers about 74,469 square kilometers. That's a massive area, like a giant underwater national park! The park is part of a group of 13 parks called the North-west Marine Parks Network. It helps protect the amazing ocean life found there.
Contents
Why the Kimberley Marine Park is Important
The Kimberley Marine Park is very important for many reasons. It protects special animals and their homes, and also unique parts of the ocean floor.
Amazing Animals and Their Homes
This park is a vital feeding ground for many animals. It's a key spot for seabirds, dugongs, dolphins, and different kinds of marine turtles that travel long distances.
It's also a very important pathway and nursery area for the protected humpback whale. Young whales are born and grow here. The park is next to areas where sawfish find food and have their babies. It's also near important nesting beaches for green turtles.
The park protects ocean communities and habitats. These areas range from shallow waters, less than 15 meters deep, to very deep parts, up to 800 meters down.
Unique Ocean Features and Ecosystems
The Kimberley Marine Park has many different types of ocean floor. You can find continental shelves, slopes, plateaus, and deep valleys. It's like an underwater landscape with mountains and plains!
This park includes examples of different ocean regions called "bioregions." These include the Northwest Shelf Transition and Timor Province. It also has smaller areas like the Kimberley and Canning meso-scale bioregions.
There's even an "ancient coastline" here. This is a special area where lots of small baitfish gather. These baitfish then become food for bigger animals that are migrating through the park. The continental slope also has many different kinds of fish that live near the bottom. In fact, it's the second richest area in Australia for these types of fish!
History of the Park
The Kimberley Marine Park was officially created on December 14, 2013. At first, it was called the Kimberley Commonwealth Marine Reserve. Later, on October 9, 2017, its name was changed to Kimberley Marine Park. The rules for how the park is managed and protected started on July 1, 2018.
How the Park is Protected
The Kimberley Marine Park has a general protection level called IUCN protected area category VI. But inside the park, there are three different protection zones. Each zone has its own rules to make sure marine habitats and species are safe.
Here's a simple look at the rules for each zone within the Kimberley Marine Park:
| Zone | IUCN | Activities permitted | Total area (km2) |
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| Vessel transiting | Recreational fishing | Commercial fishing | Commercial aquaculture | Commercial tourism | Mining | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National Park | II | Yes | No | No | No | excludes fishing, with approval | No | 406 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Habitat Protection | IV | Yes | Yes | most, with approval | with approval | with approval | No | 6,929 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Multiple Use | VI | Yes | Yes | most, with approval | with approval | with approval | with approval | 39,964 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| External link: Zoning and rules for the North-west Marine Parks Network | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other Marine Parks in the Region
The Government of Western Australia also manages several marine parks in the region. They work with the traditional owners of these areas. These are the Indigenous people who have a special connection to the land and sea. Together, they plan and develop these important marine parks.
Some of these parks include:
- Bardi Jawi Marine Park (this park is being planned)
- Lalang-gaddam Marine Park (also being planned; it used to be called Great Kimberley Marine Park). This park will cover the waters of the Dambimangari people. It includes:
- Lalang-garram / Camden Sound Marine Park
- Lalang-garram / Horizontal Falls Marine Park
- North Lalang-garram Marine Park
- Maiyalam Marine Park (created in 2020/21), which covers the Buccaneer Archipelago
- North Kimberley Marine Park, located in the waters of the Uunguu people.
