Marine Parks and Reserves Authority

The Marine Parks and Reserves Authority (MPRA) has expressed its strong support for the establishment of Western Australia's newest marine park at Camden Sound in the Kimberley.

The MPRA is the vesting body to which the new marine park will be legally entrusted and has the responsibility of assessing the implementation of the final management plan.

The Chair of the MPRA, Mr Eric Streitberg said "The indicative management plan, which has today been formally released for a three month public submission period by the Premier and Minister for Environment, presents information on how the Camden Sound Marine Park will be managed".

The proposed Camden Sound Marine Park contains globally significant marine habitat and species and is one of the world's most important humpback whale calving and resting areas.

The release of the indicative management plan is an important first step in the protection of this iconic area and the MPRA encourages all stakeholders to carefully consider the indicative management plan and provide comment during the three month public submission period which ends on 1 February 2011.

The indicative management plan can be downloaded from www.dec.wa.gov.au/camdensound.

Mr Streitberg has also congratulated the Government on the announcement regarding the establishment of three other new marine parks in the north Kimberley, at Roebuck Bay and at Eighty Mile Beach.

"The establishment of a representative system of marine parks in the Kimberley is a major step forward for marine conservation in Western Australia and will ensure that this globally unique and relatively untouched marine environment is conserved and its use sustainably managed well into the future".