Submissions have now closed. Thank you to all those who participated.
Gigantic kelp forests, deep sea canyons, albatross, sea lions, amazing bryozoan beds, endangered dolphins and yellow-eyed penguins. The South Island’s South-east coast has it all … except marine reserves.
Map of proposed sites. RED = Type 1 marine reserves, BLUE = Type 2 marine protected areasAfter 2 years of discussions by a community forum, 20 areas between Timaru and the Catlins) are being proposed for various levels of marine protection. The Forum has proposed 9 areas (making up just 5.3% of the marine space in the region) become no-take marine reserves (Type 1). Other Type 2 areas will have various restrictions on some activities to protect specific species and/or habitats. Fish Forever believes all these and more are needed to create a meaningful network of marine reserves to restore and protect marine biodiversity in the region.
Only 0.4% of mainland NZ waters are in marine reserves
Please help us save our southern seas by making a submission, our recommendations are below.
You can also read the complete proposal documents and maps here
Submission Options:
- SUPER EASY – add your name, email and address to the form below and click SEND.
- FAST & PERSONAL – add your personal statement about Marine Protection to the top of the form below and click SEND. Personal statements carry more weight when submissions are considered so if you have time please express your concerns about the need for more marine protection.
- PERSONAL – edit the form below with your personal comments/recommendations and click SEND.
- PERSONAL & COMPREHENSIVE – go to the official SEMPA website (https://south-eastmarine.org.nz/yoursay/ ) where all documentation and submission forms are available and make your own submission.