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Hawkesbury Shelf marine bioregion assessment

Published 27 February 2023

Phase 3

Phase 3 of the Assessment involved the release of a discussion paper - Part 1 (PDF, 5099 KB) and Part 2 (PDF, 12MB) - outlining the Authority’s approach to enhancing the conservation of marine biodiversity in the bioregion while allowing for a range of benefits and uses the NSW community derives from the marine estate in this region via:

The Strategy focuses on addressing priority and cumulative threats that operate throughout the NSW marine estate, as identified and assessed in the statewide Threat and Risk Assessment (TARA).

Background information about phases 1 and 2 of the assessment is available here.

Marine park proposal (2018)

Note: Information on the proposal is available in English and seven other languages here

The aim of the proposed new marine park is to reduce risks at a local scale from some site-based threats, while helping to conserve marine biodiversity. It is designed to complement the initiatives and management actions of the Strategy, while allowing for a wide range of recreational and commercial activities to still occur.

It includes a network of 25 distinct sites (PDF, 847.71 KB), rather than a single large marine park. Three zone types - sanctuary zones, conservation zones and special purpose zones are proposed across the 25 sites.

An overview of site selection can be found in the discussion paper - Part 1 (PDF, 5099 KB). The documents that underpinned the selection of sites are as follows:

Map of proposed marine park (2018)

Click on each proposed site on the map below to obtain further details to include site description, map, and proposed management rules. To further zoom in on individual sites to see in detail the site and zone boundaries, you can open a map window by clicking here.







The proposed marine park could result in a variety of benefits to the people of NSW including:

  • reduced site-based threats and additional protection for some of the best examples of the bioregion’s marine biodiversity and habitats
  • conserving marine biodiversity for current and future generations
  • benefiting local business owners by allowing them to promote the marine park as a tourism drawcard
  • allowing for a range of activities and uses, depending on the management objectives for each site.

Have Your Say

The consultation on the Hawkesbury shelf marine bioregion marine park proposal is now closed.

The information you have provided will inform the final marine park proposal to be considered by the NSW Government later in 2018. Existing management rules remain in place, and none of the proposals will be implemented until the NSW Government announces the outcome.



Discussion paper and supporting information

The discussion paper is in two parts:

  • Part 1 – outlines the context and approach for enhancing marine biodiversity in the bioregion (PDF, 5MB)
  • Part 2 – is the marine park proposal which describes the proposed management at 25 distinct sites  in the bioregion (PDF, 12MB)

Additional information :

Site based information (listed from north to south)


Multicultural translated fact sheets - Hawkesbury Shelf marine bioregion proposed marine park