Interim Marine and Coastal Regionalisation for Australia: An ecosystem-based classification for marine and coastal environments IMCRA Technical Group June 1998 • Version 3.3 The regionalisations presented in this report were compiled from regional frameworks developed by the Commonwealth, States and Northern Territory marine management and research agencies. The compilation was coordinated by the Biodiversity Group, Environment Australia. IMCRA Version 3.3 was developed through the technical input, information and advice of the following agencies and individuals. Numerous people contributed to previous versions of IMCRA and are acknowledged in the Acknowledgments. IMCRA Technical Group Commonwealth Australian Geological Survey Organisation (Bob Burne, now with the Australian National University) Biodiversity Group, Environment Australia (Ian Cresswell and Richard Thackway) CSIRO Division of Marine Research (Vincent Lyne and Peter Last) CSIRO Division of Wildlife and Ecology (Neil Hamilton) Environmental Resource Information Network (ERIN), Environment Australia (Steve Blake) Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (Jim Muldoon and Joan Phillips) New South Wales New South Wales Fisheries (David Pollard) New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service (Ian Brown) Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife Commission (Ron Billyard) Queensland Department of Environment (Tim Stevens) South Australia South Australian Research and Development Institute (Karen Edyvane) Department of Environment and Natural Resources (Doug Fotheringham) Tasmania Department of Environment and Land Management (Peter Bosworth and Dave Peters) University of Tasmania (Graham Edgar) Victoria Department of Natural Resources and Environment (Don Hough and Chris Ashe) Western Australia Department of Conservation and Land Management (Chris Simpson) The report has been prepared under the auspices of the ANZECC Task Force on Marine Protected Areas. Report edited by: R Thackway and I D Cresswell, Reserve Systems Section, Biodiversity Group, Environment Australia, Commonwealth Department of the Environment. Published by: Environment Australia, Department of the Environment. The views and opinions expressed in this document are not necessarily those of the publisher, Environment Australia, Canberra. Citation: Interim Marine and Coastal Regionalisation for Australia Technical Group. 1998. Interim Marine and Coastal Regionalisation for Australia: an ecosys- tem-based classification for marine and coastal envi- ronments. Version 3.3. Environment Australia, Commonwealth Department of the Environment. Canberra. Copies of the text are available through the Environmental Resources Information Network (ERIN) on its World Wide Web Server: <http://www.environment.gov.au/net/imcra.html> Copies are also available in hard copy from: Director Marine Protected Area Strategies Marine Conservation Section Portfolio Marine Group Environment Australia Department of the Environment GPO Box 787 Canberra ACT 2601 ISBN: 0 642 54545 6 Table of Contents Acknowledgments vi 4. Uses of IMCRA 15 Preface vii 4.1 Assumptions and caveats 15 Summary viii 4.2 Terms and conditions of use 18 4.3 Responsibilities 18 1. Introduction 1 4.3.1. Custodianship 18 1.1 Australia’s Marine Biodiversity 1 1.2 The role of bioregionalisation 2 5. Towards biodiversity planning 1.2.1 A national representative system and management 19 of marine protected areas 2 5.1 IMCRA as a tool 19 1.2.2 Marine ecosystem management 3 5.1.1. Data required 19 1.3 IMCRA 5 5.1.2. Gaps 19 5.1.3. Planning a national representative 2 History and process of IMCRA 7 system of marine protected areas 20 2.1 CONCOM and ACIUCN regionalisations 7 5.1.4. Contribution towards integrated 2.2 Taskforce on marine protected areas 7 management 21 5.1.5. The next level down from 2.3 Conceptual framework and limitations of the meso-scale regions 22 current knowledge base 7 5.1.6 IMCRA and Australia’s External 2.3.1 Hierarchical structure 7 Territories 22 2.3.2 Physical versus biological 5.2 Future developments of IMCRA 22 attributes (surrogates) 7 2.3.3 Land–sea (coast) 8 6. References 23 2.3.4 Shallow versus deep waters 8 2.4 History and processes used to develop IMCRA 8 7. Abbreviations 26 2.4.1 Regionalisations developed by the inshore waters working group 9 2.4.2 Regionalisations developed by the 8. Glossary 27 offshore waters working group 9 2.4.3 Integration of regionalisation products 10 Map 1 IMCRA Meso-scale regionalisation (Version 3.1) colour section 3. IMCRA 13 3.1 Meso-scale regions 13 Map 2 IMCRA 3.2 Provinces 13 The demersal provinces and biotones colour section 3.2.1. Demersal provinces and biotones regionalisation 13 Map 3 IMCRA 3.2.2 Pelagic provinces and biotones The pelagic provinces and biotones colour section regionalisation 14 3.3 Relationships between IMCRA meso-scale regions Map 4 IMCRA and provincial regionalisation 14 Proposed provinces for the external territories colour section Table of Contents continued Table 1 Appendix 1 The key stages in the development of IMCRA 29 Specifications for developing the IMCRA regionalisation 47 Table 2 Regionalisation products developed by the inshore Appendix 2 and offshore waters working groups 30 Description of the approaches used by the inshore waters working group (States and the Northern Territory agencies) to derive the meso-scale Table 3 IMCRA regionalisation 49 Descriptions of IMCRA meso-scale regions for Map 1 31 Appendix 3 Table 4 Description of the approaches used by the Descriptions of IMCRA demersal provinces and offshore waters working group (Commonwealth biotones for Map 2 39 agencies) to derive the provincial scale regionalisations 56 Table 5 Appendix 4 Descriptions of IMCRA pelagic provinces and Guidelines for integrating the IMCRA biotones for Map 3 44 regionalisations developed by the inshore and offshore working groups 58 Table 6 Nested relationship between meso-scale regions Appendix 5 and demersal provinces 45 Detailed IMCRA meso-scale regional descriptions 59 Table 7 Appendix 6 Proposed IMCRA provinces for the External Biophysical Descriptions of the proposed IMCRA Territories to be included in IMCRA 4.0 (see Map 4) 46 provinces for the External Territories (see Map 4) 93 Interim Marine and Coastal Regionalisation for Australia IMCRA VERSION 3.3 Acknowledgments The developers of the Interim Marine and Third Technical Meeting: Melbourne, Coastal Regionalisation for Australia: an ecosystem- November 1996 based classification for marine and coastal environments wish to thank the following The Victorian Department of Natural Resources and agencies and individuals. Environment provided the venue and office facilities for the meeting. Damian McRae, in consultation with staff of the Victorian department, organised the meeting which was held over 18–21 November 1996. First Technical Meeting: Sydney, March 1995 Financial assistance for the meeting was provided by The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service the Portfolio Marine Group, Environment Australia. provided the venue and office facilities at the Manly Quarantine Station Conference Centre, as well as financial assistance. NSW Fisheries provided Apart from the current IMCRA Technical Group, financial assistance. The Australian Surveying and the following individuals are acknowledged as Land Information Group provided access to also having participated in the development of Geographic Information System data on marine data the IMCRA: Ernesto Ortiz, Sally McNeill, Laurie Ferns, boundaries from the Australian Marine Boundaries Hugh Chevis, Brad Miles, Ralph Roob, Chris Parvey, Information System. The National Resource Tony Smith and Matt Bolton. Information Centre compiled the available national and State and Territory coastal and marine data sets Damian McRae, in consultation with staff from as an ArcView2 application for use at the workshop. the various State department, organised the above technical meetings. Damian also prepared the record of meetings for each technical meeting, which provided the basis for developing the different Second Technical Meeting: Hobart, versions of the IMCRA report. December 1995 Sharon Pretty, in cooperation with the developers The Tasmanian Department of Environment and of the respective State and Territory regionalisations, Land Management provided the venue and office compiled many of the tables in this report. Rohan facilities for the meeting. The second technical Fernando, in cooperation with the developers of meeting formed part of a five-day technical meeting the respective State and Territory regionalisations, on ‘Managing Australia’s marine environment— compiled the IMCRA provincial and meso-scale information needs, data collection, data maps and supporting meta-data. Gavan Thomas management and regionalisations’. The five-day prepared Map 4, displaying provisional provinces meeting was organised in association with Annie for Australia’s external territories. Fiona Ross also Ilett (Department of the Environment, Sport and assisted with preparation of maps for Version 3.0. Territories) and Steve Blake (Environmental Gordon Anderson prepared Figures 1 and 2. Final Resources Information Network). edits, following the public consultation phase, were analysed and incorporated by Brian Lassig and Edward Kleverlaan. vi IMCRA VERSION 3.3 Interim Marine and Coastal Regionalisation for Australia Preface The sea has long been treated as a gigantic Council (ANZECC) was adopted as the appropriate ‘common’ of unlimited resources, but increased forum for achieving this coordination and awareness