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The EPA relased for comment the draft Adelaide Coastal Waters Improvement Plan (ACWQIP), the Conservation Council of SA put forward a submission in support of the plan. You can download a copy here.
The Conservation Council of SA put forward a submission to the Marine Bioregional Planning Process: South West. We firmly believe that as a foundation conservation measure, the Commonwealth Marine Park Network must protect the marine biodiversity that is the natural heritage of all Australians. It is this biodiversity, as an integral part of a healthy, resilient marine environment, which will ultimately benefit all Australians, now and into the future. To download the submission, click here.
We recently provided comment on the Inquiry by the Select Committee into Marine Parks in South Australia. The Conservation Council of SA is firmly convinced that a network of well designed marine parks with a core of hihgly protected comprehensive, adequate and representative sanctuary zones is te best approach to reduce the current risks to marine biodiversity. Download the full submission here [292kb].
The Conservation Council of South Australia is calling for the immediate end to the practice of gillnetting in Australian sea lion foraging grounds. This iconic species and major tourist attraction is at risk of extinction from shark fishery practices in South Australia.
"It is estimated around 370 sea lions* are killed by the Commonwealth-managed gillnet fishery every breeding season as bycatch," Conservation Council of SA spokesperson Kathryn Warhurst said today. "The shark fishery has been on notice since 2006 regarding sea lion mortalities from this unsustainable and outdated practice. The Australian Fishing Management Authority's (AFMA) failure to adequately address this in their new management plan is posing a serious threat to the unique sea lion species," said Ms Warhurst.A 2010 report by SARDI (South Australian Research and Development Institute) states that bycatch of female Australian Sea Lions must be reduced to ‘zero or close to zero' to adequately protect the species over its entire habitat. The report found that additional losses of 1-2 female sea lions per year could result in up to 40% of colonies becoming extinct. The new AFMA sea lion management plan is only likely to reduce bycatch by 30%. South Australia is home to 85% of the total Australian sea lion population, thought to only be around 10,000 animals. The Australian sea lion is a species unique to Australia and is classified as ‘threatened' by the Australian Government. In South Australia they are a tourism icon, and are the basis of a regional ecotourism industry worth over $100 million every year.
*Goldsworthy, S.D., Page, B., Shaughnessy, P.D. and Linnane, A. (2010). Mitigating Seal Interactions in the SRLF and the Gillnet Sector SESSF in South Australia. Report to the Fisheries Research and Development Institute. South Australian Research and Development Institute (Aquatic Sciences), Adelaide. SARDI publication No. F2009/000613-1. SARDI Report Series No. 405
The Conservation Council of SA put forward a submission on Australia's draft 2011 National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (Shark-plan 2). In this submission we outlined our concern that the sufficient focus on shark conservation measures and will therefore do little to alleviate the continued threats they currently face. To download the submission click here [PDF]
The Conservation Coucil of SA has grave concerns about BP's proposal to conduct seismic testing in the Great Australian Bight. This submission outlines these concerns, including the impact of seismic testing on wildlife and damage to an unique and incredibly diverse ecosystem if BP undertakes drilling for further oil exploration.
This framework will be a guiding document for how the whole South Australian community prepares and adapts to inevitable climate change. Latest climate change projections indicate the level of change will be quite significant. In this submission, amongst other things we argue that the Government needs to be upfront and realistic about this to walk its own talk and allow the community to understand exactly what action will be needed.
The Federal Government is looking at urban planning policy - see Conservation SA's vision for how our cities can be made sustainable for the future.
Misleading claims about proposed new marine parks has led to unnecessary alarm in coastal communities, a national alliance of conservation groups said today. The Save Our Marine Life alliance of 11 conservation groups said there is already overwhelming evidence of the benefits of marine parks in Australia and overseas in protecting fish and the marine environment. The Save Our Marine Life alliance called on opponents to marine parks to also examine the evidence of the economic benefits of marine parks, such as the lucrative tourism industry the Great Barrier Reef Marine Parks has created. The inaugural Plan was launched in March, 2004, it was updated in 2006 and the Government of South Australia has just completed its formal consultations on the development of the next Strategic Plan. Conservation SA contributed in a number of ways, including; Providing our top five issues as conversation starters at community consultationsParticipating at (public and alliance/peak body) workshopsProviding a submission for the second round of SASP consultations (closed Wednesday 8 December 2010) We are also anticipating that we will have further opportunities to discuss the next SASP before a final version is released. If you would like to discuss this with us further or want to provide us with your thoughts on the next SASP please email general@conservationsa.org.auAustralia's biggest mountain range is underwater; deep-sea "restaurants" exist where the world's largest animal feeds; and our own "Grand Canyon" is buried beneath the waves near Perth. A new report released this week, Atlantis Found: Underwater Icons of Australia's Unique South West (10MB pdf), uncovers 10 hotspots for unique marine life off Australia's largely unknown South West coast, stretching from Geraldton to Kangaroo Island. |
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