ACTION ALERT FOR AUSTRALIA! The coalition defedig the amazing Marine Reserves System against the absurd review of the Abbott goverment, which intends to allow further fishing and extractive uses of the Reserves, is asking for our support in sending submissions to the review process. D4S has sent the submission below, supporting more NO-TAKE ZONES for diving & non-extractive uses in the Reserves. PLEASE send your short submission too using the link, asking for extensive fully protected zones in the Reserves! Thank you! On behalf of our 61,000+ supporters in 86 countries, Divers for Sharks would like to express its view that this Review should consider establishing the largest possible extension of strictly no-take zones in the Australian Marine Reserves system. Fully protected areas are NOT in any way superfluous or not used for society and the economy; In fact, they are extremely useful both for providing refuge areas where biodiversity thrives and for the repopulation of the oceans around it. Also, and of direct interest to our constituency, is that NON-EXTRACTIVE USERS of the Reserves, including the many dive businesses which generate thousands of jobs and income for coastal communities around Australia, vitally need fully protected marine evironments to develop recreational diving. Allowing commercial fishing, mining and other extractive, heavily impacting uses inside large parts of the Marine Reserves diminishes their ecosystem resilience, their attractiveness for non-extractive users, and the overall socio- economic significance of the environmental services they otherwise provide. We trust you will do the right thing and determine that it is in the best interest of Australian society and the world, and based o the best Science available, that Australian Marine Reserves should not be wide open for extractive uses and instead should be mostly protected in no-take areas which benefit EVERYONE. Thank you for considering our views. Sincerely, José Truda Palazzo, Jr., Co-founder Divers for Sharks
Posted on: Wed, 14 Jan 2015 10:10:00 +0000