Understanding more about underwater

Southern Australia is home to some of the world’s most unique marine life with approximately 90 per cent of species found nowhere else on earth. The Victorian marine environment includes more than 12,000 species ranging from dolphins, penguins and seals, to seadragons, velvetfishes, delicate sea slugs, swarming spider crabs and rich algal diversity.

In 2002, Victoria established a system of 24 no-take marine national parks and sanctuaries. These parks protect and conserve marine biodiversity, ecological processes and natural features and make up 5.3 per cent of state waters which form part of a broader system of 30 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

There are five types of MPAs in Victoria, making up a total of 11.7 per cent of the Victorian marine environment:

1. Marine national parks
2. Marine sanctuaries
3. Marine and coastal parks
4. Marine parks
5. Marine reserve

Effective management of MPAs relies on properly designed and implemented research and monitoring programs clearly connected to management objectives. The marine research and monitoring program provides information on the status of natural values and threatening processes, and to determine the nature and magnitude of trends through time.

Marine research

Since marine national parks and sanctuaries were established in 2002, Parks Victoria’s immediate priority has been to improve baseline knowledge about these parks.

A comprehensive risk assessment process was undertaken in 2004 for all Victoria’s MPAs and the results of these assessments fed directly into the development of park management plans.

The marine research program is guided by our priority research themes and Marine Research and Monitoring Strategy 2007-2012. The majority of Parks Victoria’s research program is delivered through the Research Partners Program. Since this program started, 14 marine research projects have been completed resulting in a considerable improvement in knowledge about marine national parks and sanctuaries. A further 19 research projects are currently under way, with a number close to completion. 

How is all this information being used?

Data is being analysed from the increasing number of monitoring programs to:

• Determine if there have been changes to the biodiversity of the parks
• Examine the extent to which the parks are meeting their biodiversity protection objectives.
• Inform priorities and management responses
• Assess the effectiveness of Parks Victoria’s management.

Detailed reports on past monitoring programs are available in our Technical Series Reports. To view these reports, search for research and studies under Publications.