Mooring policy for the management of moorings in WA's marine parks and reserves

The Western Australian Government is establishing a comprehensive and Statewide system of multiple-use marine conservation reserves, as a part of the National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas.

The multiple-use marine conservation reserve system in Western Australia has two primary objectives:

• To preserve representative as well as special ecosystems in the marine environment, and
• To put a formal management framework in place to ensure the various uses of marine conservation reserves are managed in an equitable, integrated and sustainable manner.

Marine conservation reserves in Western Australia are vested in the Marine Parks and Reserves Authority. The Authority's function includes the development of marine reserve policies and management plans, and oversees their implementation by the Department of Environment and Conservation, on behalf of the community.

A joint policy has been developed by the Marine Parks and Reserves Authority and the Department of Environment and Conservation for the management of moorings in marine conservation reserves of Western Australia.

The mooring policy has been developed to:

• maintain the ecological and social values of marine conservation reserves by minimising impacts of uncontrolled mooring and anchoring activities
• enhance user safety, access and equity in relation to moorings in marine conservation reserves, and
• provide a framework to accommodate present and future mooring usage patterns in marine conservation reserves.

The Department of Environment and Conservation currently manages in excess of 1,145,940 hectares of Western Australian waters, of which 132,000 hectares are marine nature reserves managed for the purpose of conservation of marine and terrestrial flora and fauna and their habitats and for approved recreation. The remaining 1,013,940 hectares are marine parks managed primarily for the purpose of conservation and recreation. Most reserves are located in high-use areas such as Swan Estuary, Shoalwater Islands, Marmion, Shark Bay and Ningaloo marine parks.

Increasingly, Western Australians are enjoying these marine environment, whether it be for recreational swimming, fishing or diving, or with a commercial tour operator. With this increase of use, there is a need to manage locations where vessels drop an anchor or install a mooring so as to protect the environment.

Moorings can, where appropriately designed and sited, play an important role in protecting areas of high conservation values (eg. coral reef and seagrass) by minimising the need for anchoring, thus reducing potential anchor damage. Moorings also facilitate better access to locations of interest (eg. dive sites) and provide a level of security with regards to safety for vessels. Because of the range of biophysical characteristics and patterns of use from reserve to reserve, there is a need for a policy that provides a number of management options, thereby allowing an open, transparent, accountable and flexible approach for each area—given the unique characteristics of those areas.

Historically, the department has not discouraged regular users, such as tourism operators, from installing privately-owned moorings at their preferred sites. However, in the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park, privately-owned moorings, relating to commercial tourism, have been minimal, whereas individually-owned private moorings are more prevalent. The contrast between the marine parks reflects the differences in users, the natural resource, the tourism opportunities, the population distribution and the distances to travel.

In providing mooring opportunities in marine parks, the MPRA and the department must consider equity of access for all marine park users, especially where demand exceeds supply. The department is particularly concerned with private ownership of moorings in multiple-use areas that can create a perception of exclusive use and displacement of existing users. Therefore, a system of public and private moorings needs to be provided for, where recreational and commercial users have the ability to access areas with minimal impact to the environment and in an equitable manner.

To ensure this is the case, data is required to identify the areas that are of ecological and social significance. Additionally, areas will need to be identified where growth is likely to occur. This will be achieved by way of mooring plans identifying mooring areas and, in some cases, specific mooring sites for each individual marine conservation reserve.

Because of the ecological and social significance of some sites, there may be a need for the installation of public moorings. Public moorings are those moorings that are installed and managed by the department. Public moorings can provide a means of ensuring equity of access for all users in multiple use areas. However, there is limited demand for them in the remote parts of the marine parks or in areas of minimal public use, and the cost for maintaining and managing these moorings is considered to be prohibitive.

The alternative to public moorings are privately-owned moorings. Privately-owned moorings can help to minimise damage caused by anchors and can promote a sense of "stewardship" at mooring sites. Private owners, such as commercial tour operators, also have a requirement for regular or guaranteed access to particular sites in the marine parks is an essential component of their business operations. Therefore, privately-owned moorings can offer some business certainty for commercial tour operators, especially where areas reach a capacity. However, moorings can not be installed in an ad hoc manner, without some principles and processes being applied.

To ensure the public are aware of how the Marine Parks and Reserves Authority and the department propose to address the issues of equity, environmental impact, demand and capacity, and liability within marine conservation reserves in a flexible manner, it was necessary to develop a  Mooring Policy 59 (352.74 Kb).