Recreational users of Great Sandy Marine Park are invited to help guide its future management

Recreational users including boaties and fishers of the Great Sandy Marine Park are invited to take part in a review of the park’s zoning plan to help guide its future management.

Advising that the zoning plan’s aim is to balance conservation, recreation and commercial activities, acting Queensland Environment Minister Craig Crawford stated "the current zoning plan is now 13 years old and it’s time it had a comprehensive review.

“That is why I am releasing a discussion paper seeking community views on zoning plan opportunities as part of this review.

“The park is important to tourism and for recreational and commercial fishing and it’s a much-loved natural asset for locals, and a popular destination for Australian and international visitors.

“Feedback received via the public consultation process will help guide the development of a draft revised zoning plan with the public will again be consulted once a draft revised zoning plan has been prepared later this year.”

The Great Sandy Marine Park was established in 2006 and protects an area of approximately 6,000 km2 along the Bundaberg-Fraser Coast, from Baffle Creek in the north to Double Island Point in the south. It includes Hervey Bay, the Great Sandy Strait and offshore waters to three nautical miles.

Extensive seagrass meadows and mangrove communities, some of the world’s most southerly coastal fringing reefs, and marine animals of international and national conservation significance such as humpback whales, grey nurse sharks, turtles and dugong are found in the Great Sandy Marine Park.

The discussion paper and background information are available at www.qld.gov.au/marineparks. 

Stakeholders and members of the public are encouraged to provide feedback via the online survey on the Get Involved website www.getinvolved.qld.gov.au or via a written submission. 

Submissions close on 25th February 2019.