The Representative Areas Programme Protecting the Biodiversity of the Great Barrier Reef

Abstract

The new Zoning Plan for the Marine Park became law on 1 July 2004. It increased the proportion of the Marine Park that was highly protected by ‘notake’ zones from less than 5% to more than 33%, and now protects representative examples of each of the 70 bioregions (broad habitat types) occurring across the entire area, including the surrounding waters. Other zones also provide increased protection of biodiversity.