AMCS welcomes environment ministers committing to protect and conserve 30% of Australia’s marine areas by 2030

According to the Australian Marine Conservation Society, the Australian environment ministers meeting today has produced some welcome commitments for our oceans.

Ministers agreed to work collectively to achieve a national target to protect and conserve 30% of Australia’s marine areas by 2030, and to work with the private sector to design out waste and pollution, keep materials in use and foster markets to achieve a circular economy by 2030.

From Ningaloo-Exmouth Gulf, the Top End to the Great Southern Reef, the Great Barrier Reef and our offshore territories, this is the kind of collaborative approach needed to protect our amazing coasts and oceans.

AMCS Campaigns Director, Tooni Mahto advised “we look forward to seeing these bold and achievable ambitions backed by strategic investment from all governments, and a clear timetable of action.

“We’re pleased to see a commitment from the ministers to protect and conserve 30% of Australia’s marine areas by 2030. To be effective, these must be highly protected areas (known as marine sanctuaries) that represent the wide range of habitats that are home to our unique marine flora and fauna, and provide vital havens where marine life can recover, thrive and build resilience to threats such as global heating.

“We also welcome the commitment to harmonise definitions of single-use plastics and reform the regulation of packaging by 2025.

“It’s time to put an end to greenwashing. For too long manufacturers have been allowed to pollute our oceans with plastic packaging that is hard to recycle and doesn’t biodegrade.

“Just 16% of plastic packaging is recycled in Australia. We urgently need strong, mandatory standards that drive up the use of recycled content and require manufacturers to prove their products can be reused, recycled or composted in practice.”

The communique released after the meeting stated that the ministers agreed action is needed quickly to arrest environmental decline and prevent new extinctions of plants and animals.

The 2021 State of the Environment Report painted a grim picture of our oceans and land, with this being the decade to turn the tide for Australia’s wildlife and habitats.

Mahto added "to achieve this, reform of Australia’s national environment act, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act) is vital. Reforms must include the creation of strong and legally enforceable national environmental standards, as well as the creation and funding of a national Environmental Protection Agency. The EPBC act is the foundation on which to build actions to protect and restore Australia’s coasts and oceans.

"AMCS welcomes these commitments from all Australian governments, and looks forward to hearing more on how these commitments will be achieved.”