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Gulf of Carpentaria Commonwealth Marine Reserve
Overview
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR MARINE USERS
Transitional arrangements for new areas added to the Commonwealth marine reserve estate
From the declaration of Commonwealth marine reserves in November 2012 until management plans come into effect in July 2014, transitional arrangements apply.
- Under the transitional arrangements, there are NO CHANGES ON THE WATER for users of new areas added to the Commonwealth marine reserves estate.
- NOTE: There are no changes to management arrangements in the marine reserves that existed prior to the establishment of the new reserves, that is, the same restrictions on activities will continue to apply even where those reserves have been incorporated into new reserves.
| Name | Gulf of Carpentaria Commonwealth Marine Reserve |
|---|---|
| Area | 23 775 km2 |
| Depth range | 10-55 m (approx.) |
| Types of zoning |
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Major conservation values
- Important resting area for turtles between egg laying (internesting area), for the threatened:
- flatback turtle
- green turtle
- Important foraging habitat for breeding aggregations of the:
- migratory brown booby
- migratory lesser frigatebird
- migratory roseate tern
- listed marine crested tern
- Examples of the ecosystems of the Northern Shelf Province (including the Carpentaria, Karumba-Nassau and Wellesley meso-scale bioregions)
- Includes four key ecological features:
- Gulf of Carpentaria coastal zone (high productivity; biodiversity and endemism; aggregations of marine life)
- Gulf of Carpentaria basin (biodiversity; aggregations of marine life)
- plateau and saddle north-west of the Wellesley Islands (biodiversity and endemism; high aggregations of marine life)
- submerged coral reefs of the Gulf of Carpentaria (biodiversity and endemism; high aggregations of marine life)
Download reserve fact sheet
MIGRATORY SEABIRDS
The Gulf of Carpentaria Commonwealth Marine Reserve includes important foraging habitat for breeding aggregations of the migratory brown booby
Brown Booby
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