Murat Marine Park

Murat Marine Park (formerly Murat Commonwealth Marine Reserve) is a marine protected area located in the Great Australian Bight south of South Australia in waters within the Australian Exclusive economic zone to the west of the island group known as the Nuyts Archipelago and ranging in depth from 15 metres (49 feet) to 70 metres (230 feet).[3]

Murat Marine Park
Australia
Murat Marine Park is located in Australia
Murat Marine Park
Murat Marine Park
Nearest town or cityFowlers Bay
Coordinates32°31′0.12″S 132°39′00″E
Established8 December 2012 (2012-12-08)[1]
Area937.77 km2 (362.1 sq mi)[2]
Managing authoritiesDirector of National Parks
WebsiteMurat Marine Park

It was gazetted in November 2012.[1] It was renamed on 11 October 2017.[4]

The marine park includes ecosystems representative of a feature known as the "Great Australian Bight Shelf Transition", two "key ecological features" being "benthic invertebrate communities’’ and "areas important for small pelagic fish", and the feeding areas for the following species - Australian sea lion, great white shark, short-tailed shearwater and Caspian tern. It also provides protection for a submerged reef system known as "Yatala Reef".[5]

It is part of a group of Australian marine parks known as the South-west Marine Parks Network.[3]

The marine park is classified as an IUCN Category II protected area.[2]

Map of southern Western Australia and South Australia
The South-west Marine Parks Network, including the Murat Marine Park

See also

References
  1. "Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (Commonwealth Marine Reserves) Proclamation 2012 - F2012L02188". Commonwealth of Australia, Comlaw. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  2. "Collaborative Australian Protected Area Database (CAPAD) - consolidated data set for all marine protected areas in Australian State and Commonwealth waters (refer "DETAIL' tab)". Department of the Environment. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  3. "Murat Commonwealth Marine Reserve". Department of the Environment (DoE). Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  4. "Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Commonwealth Marine Reserves Renaming) Proclamation 2017". Federal Register of Legislation. Australian Government. 11 October 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  5. "Murat Commonwealth Marine Reserve - Maps" (PDF). Department of the Environment (DoE). Retrieved 12 July 2015.
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