Flinders Commonwealth Marine Reserve
Australian marine protected area off north-east Tasmania
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Flinders Commonwealth Marine Reserve is a 27,043km2 marine protected area within Australian waters located off the coast of north-east Tasmania. It extends to the outer limits of the Australian exclusive economic zone in the Tasman Sea. The reserve was established in 2007[2] and is part of the South-east Commonwealth Marine Reserve Network.
| Flinders Commonwealth Marine Reserve | |
|---|---|
 Map showing the Flinders Commonwealth Marine Reserve | |
| Location | Tasman Sea, Australia |
| Nearest town | Ansons Bay, Tasmania |
| Coordinates | 40.00°S 151.56°E[1] |
| Area | 27,043 km2 (10,441 sq mi) |
| Established | August 31, 2007 |
| Governing body | Parks Australia (Commonwealth of Australia) |
| Website | environment |
The reserve area contains habitat for lace corals, sea sponges and giant crabs. A prominent feature is a large offshore seamount believed to be too deep to have been fished. Seamounts generally host a wide variety of habitats that support deep ocean biodiversity, the large seamounts to the east of Tasmania are individually important, as they are expected to include endemic species.[3]
Protection
Most of the Flinders marine reserve area is IUCN protected area category II and zoned as 'Marine National Park'. A small portion near the coast is zoned as 'Multiple Use' (IUCN VI).[3]
| Zone | IUCN | Activities permitted | Area (km2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recreational fishing | Commercial fishing | Mining | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marine National Park | II | No | No | No | 25,812 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Multiple Use | VI | Yes | with approval | with approval | 1,231 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [Note 1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
