Description of the Environment CAPL Planning Area Document ID: ABU-COP-02890 Revision ID: 1.0 Revision Date: 01 May 2020 Next Revision Due 01 May 2021 Information Sensitivity: Company Confidential Description of the Environment CAPL Planning Area Contents 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 6 1.1 Purpose ................................................................................................................ 6 1.2 Regulatory Context ............................................................................................... 6 1.3 Review and Revision ............................................................................................ 7 2 Matters of National Environmental Significance (NES) ................................................... 9 2.1 World Heritage Properties ..................................................................................... 9 2.2 National Heritage Places ...................................................................................... 9 2.3 Commonwealth Heritage Places ......................................................................... 13 2.4 Wetlands of International Importance (listed under the Ramsar Convention) ...... 22 2.5 Listed Threatened and Migratory Species ........................................................... 25 2.5.1 Marine Mammals ..................................................................................... 25 2.5.2 Reptiles ................................................................................................... 33 2.5.3 Fishes, including Sharks and Rays .......................................................... 41 2.5.4 Seabirds and Shorebirds ......................................................................... 47 2.6 Listed Threatened Ecological Communities ........................................................ 57 2.7 Commonwealth Marine Areas ............................................................................. 58 2.7.1 Australian Marine Parks .......................................................................... 58 2.7.2 Key Ecological Features .......................................................................... 75 3 Physical Environment ................................................................................................... 80 3.1 Meteorology ........................................................................................................ 80 3.2 Oceanography .................................................................................................... 80 3.2.1 Water Temperature ................................................................................. 80 3.2.2 Circulation and Currents .......................................................................... 80 3.2.3 Waves ..................................................................................................... 81 3.2.4 Tides ....................................................................................................... 81 3.3 Marine Water Quality .......................................................................................... 82 3.3.1 Nutrients .................................................................................................. 82 3.3.2 Turbidity .................................................................................................. 82 3.3.3 Water Chemistry ..................................................................................... 82 3.3.4 Marine Geomorphology ........................................................................... 82 3.4 Seabed Features ................................................................................................ 83 3.5 Marine Habitat .................................................................................................... 83 3.6 Shoreline Type .................................................................................................... 84 4 Socioeconomic Environment ........................................................................................ 86 4.1 Commercial Shipping .......................................................................................... 86 Document ID: ABU-COP-02890 Revision ID: 1.0 Revision Date: 01 May 2020 Page iii Information Sensitivity: Company Confidential Uncontrolled when Printed Description of the Environment CAPL Planning Area 4.2 Commercial Fishing and Aquaculture ................................................................. 88 4.3 Recreational Fisheries ........................................................................................ 91 4.4 Australian National Shipwrecks ........................................................................... 92 4.5 Defence .............................................................................................................. 92 4.6 Tourism ............................................................................................................... 92 5 Terms, Acronyms, and Abbreviations ........................................................................... 94 6 References .................................................................................................................. 96 Appendix A Matter of NES Search Report ..................................................................... 106 Tables Table 2-1: World Heritage Properties .................................................................................... 9 Table 2-2: National Heritage Places .................................................................................... 10 Table 2-3: Commonwealth Heritage Places ........................................................................ 13 Table 2-4: Ramsar Wetlands ............................................................................................... 22 Table 2-5: Threatened and Migratory Marine Mammals ...................................................... 26 Table 2-6: BIAs for Threatened and Migratory Marine Mammals ........................................ 26 Table 2-7: Summary of Relevant Conservation Plans – Marine Mammals .......................... 29 Table 2-8: Threatened and Migratory Marine Reptiles......................................................... 33 Table 2-9: Critical Habitat for Marine Turtles ....................................................................... 33 Table 2-10: BIAs for Threatened and Migratory Marine Reptiles ......................................... 34 Table 2-11: Summary of Relevant Conservation Plans – Marine Reptiles ........................... 37 Table 2-12: Threatened and Migratory Fishes, including Sharks and Rays ......................... 41 Table 2-13: BIAs for Threatened and Migratory Fishes, including Sharks and Rays ........... 42 Table 2-14: Summary of Relevant Conservation Plans – Fishes, including Sharks and Rays ........................................................................................................................................... 43 Table 2-15: Threatened and Migratory Seabirds and Shorebirds ........................................ 47 Table 2-16: BIAs for Threatened and Migratory Seabirds and Shorebirds ........................... 50 Table 2-17: Summary of Relevant Conservation Plans – Seabirds and Shorebirds ............ 52 Table 2-18: Threated Ecological Communities .................................................................... 57 Table 2-19: Summary of AMPs (North-west Marine Parks) ................................................. 60 Table 2-20: Summary of AMPs (South-west Marine Parks)................................................. 67 Table 2-21 Summary of AMPs (North Marine Parks) ........................................................... 73 Table 2-22: Key Ecological Features of the North-west Marine Bioregion ........................... 75 Table 2-23: Key Ecological Features of the North Marine Bioregion .................................... 77 Table 2-24: Key Ecological Features of the South-west Marine Bioregion ........................... 77 Table 3-1: Marine Habitat and Key Sensitivities .................................................................. 83 Table 3-2: Shoreline Type and Length within PA ................................................................. 85 Document ID: ABU-COP-02890 Revision ID: 1.0 Revision Date: 01 May 2020 Page iv Information Sensitivity: Company Confidential Uncontrolled when Printed Description of the Environment CAPL Planning Area Table 4-1: State Managed Fisheries ................................................................................... 88 Table 4-2: Commonwealth Managed Fisheries ................................................................... 91 Table 4-3: Recreational Fishing Survey Outcomes ............................................................. 91 Table 4-4: Department of Defence Prohibited and Training Areas....................................... 92 Table 4-5: Western Australian Tourism Statistics ................................................................ 92 Table 5-1: Terms, Acronyms, and Abbreviations ................................................................. 94 Table 6-1: References ......................................................................................................... 96 Figures Figure 1-1: CAPL’s Planning Area ......................................................................................... 8 Figure 2-1: BIAs Associated with Marine Mammals ...........................................................