Conservation groups have slammed the federal government’s marine park plan off the WA north-west coast, claiming the proposal it lacks significant marine sanctuaries.
A host of organisations including The Wilderness Society, Environs Kimberley, Australian Marine Conservation Management and WWF Australia have banded together to create a group, Save Our Tropical Sealife alliance.
The alliance spoke out today shortly after Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke released the draft proposal, saying that some of the most vulnerable marine life in the country, including dugongs and the snubfin dolphin are at risk of being killed by fishing nets and mining operations.
Under the plan, the shallow waters of the Ningaloo-Pilbara, the humpback whale breeding grounds of the Kimberley and the coral reefs off the Northern Territory would not be protected, said Felicity Wishart from the Wilderness Society, “This means that less than 12 per cent of the Commonwealth’s north-west and 3 per cent of the northern waters will be fully protected
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