Cobourg Marine Park Plan of Management Cobourg Marine Park Plan of Management Prepared by the Cobourg Peninsula Sanctuary and Marine Park Board and Parks and Wildlife Service of the Northern Territory, Department of Natural Resources, Environment, The Arts and Sport Published August 2011 ISBN 1 920772 53 7 Foreword It would take many pages and a long time for me to explain how important the Cobourg Marine Park is to traditional owners and their families who live on, and are related to the gunak and lala (land and sea) of the Cobourg Peninsula. Traditional owners and their families belong to this place and their future is tied to it. The story of our connection to our land and sea continues into the stories of our children and grandchildren to come. Traditional owners and their families are proud to be able to manage the gunak and lala of Cobourg Peninsula and to share this place with others. We work with the Northern Territory Government through the Cobourg Peninsula Sanctuary and Marine Park Board so that everyone can enjoy and benefit from the Park. The Board has developed this Plan of Management so everyone knows how the Marine Park is managed and how the Traditional Owners and the Northern Territory Government look after land and sea country according to Aboriginal tradition and Territory law. The Traditional owners and the NT Government take the responsibility of writing and putting in place this Plan of Management very seriously. Traditional owners, their families and the Board know that the Marine Park is important to many people. They have taken a long time to develop the plan, and listened and talked to a lot of people so the plan reflects and balances different opinions as much as possible. We hope this makes the Plan strong. Now the Plan is written the real job of managing the park together begins. But good management can only happen if the Board keeps talking to the people who use the Park or have interests in it. The Board looks forward to the challenges ahead and hopes that this strong Plan of Management will help to protect the Marine Park, and that future generations of traditional owners and their families, Territorians, park visitors and others will continue to enjoy and benefit from the wonderful natural and cultural environments that make the Marine Park so important nationally and internationally. Mr Shane Cooper Chairman Cobourg Peninsula Sanctuary and Marine Park Board August 2011 CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 BACKGROUND ................................................................................. 2 1.2 REGIONAL CONTEXT ........................................................................ 3 2.0 MANAGEMENT OF THE PARK 5 2.1 OBJECTIVES OF MANAGEMENT ......................................................... 7 2.2 MANAGEMENT VALUES ..................................................................... 7 2.3 MAKING DECISIONS AND EVALUATING PROPOSALS ............................. 8 3.0 MANAGEMENT FOR CONSERVATION AND SCIENTIFIC VALUES 9 3.1 MARINE HABITATS AND ECOSYSTEMS ............................................... 9 3.2 FLORA AND FAUNA ........................................................................ 10 4.0 MANAGING FOR ABORIGINAL VALUES 14 4.1 TRADITIONAL RESOURCE USE AND CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE . ........... 15 4.2 ABORIGINAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ........................................... 16 5.0 MANAGING FOR HISTORICAL VALUES 17 6.0 MANAGING FOR TOURISM AND RECREATIONAL VALUES 19 6.1 RECREATIONAL FISHING AND TOURISM ............................................ 19 6.2 SHIPPING AND BOATING ................................................................. 21 6.3 VISITOR ACCESS AND SAFETY ........................................................ 21 7.0 MANAGING FOR ECONOMIC VALUES 23 7.1 COMMERCIAL FISHING ................................................................... 23 7.2 PEARLING ..................................................................................... 25 7.3 AQUACULTURE .............................................................................. 25 7.4 MINING AND EXPLORATION ............................................................. 26 8.0 MANAGING FOR EDUCATIONAL VALUES 27 9.0 STRATEGIES FOR MANAGEMENT 28 9.1 ZONING SCHEME ........................................................................... 28 9.2 OTHER MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES ................................................. 36 Cobourg Marine Park Plan of Management – August 2011 i 10.0 ENFORCEMENT OF THE PLAN 45 11.0 EVALUATION AND REVIEW OF THE PLAN 45 12.0 REFERENCES 46 TABLE 1: SUMMARY OF ZONES 30 TABLE 2: USES AND ACTIVITIES WITHIN EACH ZONE 32 FIGURE 1: LOCATION MAP iii FIGURE 2: ZONING SCHEME 33 SCHEDULE 1: CO-ORDINATES FOR ZONING SCHEME 49 APPENDIX 1: DESCRIPTIONS OF IMCRA 54 APPENDIX 2: PRELIMINARY FAUNA LIST 59 Cobourg Marine Park Plan of Management – August 2011 ii FIGURE 1 GARIG GUNAK BARLU NATIONAL PARK ARAFURA SEA LOCATION MAP CROKER ISLAND GARIG GUNAK BARLU NATIONAL PARK BATHURST MELVILLE ISLAND ISLAND VAN DIEMEN GULF VERNON ISLANDS ARNHEM BEAGLE GULF LAND DARWIN DJUKBINJ S PROPOSED # T UA NATIONAL R KAKADU T PARK MARY H I G NATIONAL H W # LEGEND A RIVER Y AY A PARK W Tiwi-Cobourg Bioregion RN H H G E I M NATIONAL Y H WA Highway HIG H Sources: U AKA D Topographic and cadastral data obtained from the K Road Department of Lands, Planning and Environment. PARK Cobourg Marine Park Plan of Management – August 2011 iii This page is left intentionally blank Cobourg Marine Park Plan of Management – August 2011 iv 1. INTRODUCTION This Plan of Management is prepared pursuant to Part IV of the Cobourg Peninsula Aboriginal Land, Sanctuary and Marine Park Act , and Section 23 of the Northern Territory Fisheries Act . This Plan of Management states the intent of the Cobourg Board, Parks and Wildlife Commission (Department of Natural Resources, Environment, The Arts and Sport), Traditional Owners and the Fisheries Group (Department of Primary Industry, Fisheries and Mines) with regard to management of the Cobourg Marine Park. It sets management objectives and values, outlines current issues and proposes management strategies to guide future management and development of the Cobourg Marine Park. The co-operative approach that was established in preparing this Plan of Management will continue throughout the life of the Plan. The Cobourg Fishery Management Advisory Committee was established as a forum for key stakeholder involvement in developing the Cobourg Marine Park Plan of Management. The Plan will be in operation for a maximum of ten years unless amended or revoked by the preparation of a new plan in accordance with the provisions of either of the above named Acts. A review of the Plan and its provisions will be conducted once the Plan has been in operation for 5 years (mid term review). The Cobourg Board in consultation with recreational and commercial fishers will review the management programs annually to assess the progress of implementation of the plan and the effectiveness of those programs. In March 2007 the full bench of the Federal Court ruled that under the Commonwealth Aboriginal Land Rights Act (Northern Territory) traditional Aboriginal owners have exclusive possession of the waters over the Arnhem Land Aboriginal Land Trust land including intertidal areas and tidal estuaries. The implications of the ruling for the management of Cobourg Marine Park are unclear and the judgement may be subject to an appeal. This Plan of Cobourg Marine Park Plan of Management – August 2011 1 Management may need to be amended to comply with and reflect any High Court decision and relevant Northern Territory and Commonwealth legislation. 1.1 Background Cobourg Marine Park is located in the waters surrounding Cobourg Peninsula, approximately 220 km north-east of Darwin (Figure 1) and occupies an area of approximately 229,000 ha. The Marine Park was first declared in July 1983 under Section 12 of the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act (the Act). The Park was re-declared in November 2002 under section 12 (1) (aa) of the Act in order to recognise the possibility of the existence of native title interests and rights in the Marine Park. The Marine Park is part of the larger Garig Gunak Barlu National Park. Garig Gunak Barlu National Park includes both the Marine Park and the Cobourg Sanctuary. The Sanctuary extends to low water mark and includes the intertidal zone and waters covering the peninsula whilst the Marine Park extends seaward from the low water mark. An area of sea surrounding Cobourg Peninsula and corresponding closely to the boundary of the Cobourg Marine Park, but extending to the high water mark, has been declared a Fishery Management Area under section 22(a) of the Fisheries Act . The Fishery Management Area includes the water and beds of the Sanctuary between high and low water (the intertidal zone). The waters of the Park are generally less than 15 metres in depth. Wave energy is relatively low except during periods of strong storm activity and cyclonic events. This wave energy tends to be stronger in the Van Diemen Gulf in the southern area of the Park. Tides are generally between 2 – 2.5 metres in the northern section of the Park and 3 metres in the southern section of the Park. There are no major creeks or rivers on the adjoining Sanctuary and consequently there is no major freshwater discharge from the Sanctuary into the Marine Park. The waters of the Van Diemen Gulf section of the Park are always turbid due to the relatively large tidal range and discharge from the large tidally influenced