What are the benefits of Marine Sanctuaries?
Marine Scientists have proven that marine sanctuaries give us many benefits. These include: • Maintenance of biodiversity; • Protection of critical habitats of threatened species; • Increased productivity of fisheries; • Areas for research and education; • A refuge for exploited species; • Protection of breeding and feeding grounds • Protection of aesthetic values; • Protection of cultural diversity; and • Places for recreation and tourism. How much of NSW waters are protected as Marine Sanctuaries? Most people think that marine protected areas such as the Great Barrier Reef marine park in Queensland and the Solitary Island and Jervis Bay marine parks in NSW are fully protected. Unfortunately, this could not be further from the truth. Unlike national parks on land where the recreational and commercial take of plants and animals is prohibited, most existing marine protected areas offer only minimal and patchy protection from these activities. Sadly, in NSW less than 1% of marine waters
