Jordan A and Monk J (2026). Temperate East Marine Parks Network Synthesis Report. Report to the National Environmental Science Program. University of Tasmania.
Overview
The Temperate East Marine Parks Network spans approximately 1.47 million km² of Commonwealth waters extending from southern Queensland and New South Wales to the offshore waters surrounding Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands. The network encompasses an exceptional diversity of marine environments, including continental shelf, slope and abyssal ecosystems, seamounts, submarine canyons, oceanic coral reefs and isolated volcanic island systems. Situated within the dynamic influence of the East Australian Current (EAC), the region forms one of Australia’s most biologically diverse marine transition zones, where tropical, subtropical and temperate species coexist.
This report synthesises the current understanding of the natural values, ecosystem distribution, human uses and environmental pressures across the Temperate East Marine Parks Network. It brings together recent information from seabed mapping, ecological surveys, oceanographic studies and species observations to provide an evidence base for adaptive management of the network.
The information presented in this report provides an updated scientific foundation for management of the Temperate East Marine Parks Network. It identifies significant natural values across the network, and documents the current state of knowledge that will strengthen conservation outcomes and improve the long-term management and resilience of these nationally significant marine ecosystems.
