https://www.publish.csiro.au/book/7293/
Edited By James Fitzsimmons and Geoff Wescott
CSIRO Publishing
ISBN: 9781486301942
AUD$89.95
This book represents an excellent reference for anyone interested in the administrative and regulatory development of marine protected areas in Australia. That sounds pretty dry, and parts of this book are (as most references books can be), but nonetheless this is an important book as never has such a detailed basis for each state and the Commonwealth marine protected area (MPA) system been compiled for easy comparison. It provides a comprehensive view of the current state of Australia’s MPAs and the variation across the country’s jurisdictions – which can be highly complex and confusing. It is, however, a book of four parts.
The first two sections provide the national, international and historical background for MPAs and the distilled essence of the processes and decision making involved in the development of Australia’s federal and state MPAs (Chapters 1-13).
The third section of the book outlines the fundamental approaches used to develop Australian MPAs covering: a review of the legislation on which MPAs are based: scientific basis for MPA planning; and the economic approaches that could be used to value biological diversity and conservation actions. This section (Chapters 14-17) provides a succinct primer for anyone interested in trying to understand the basis of MPA design and development.
The fourth section provides a series of several intriguing essays critiquing the implementation and management of MPAs and the various controversies associated with them as a conservation management strategy. These essays cover topics such as: (i) indigenous roles in MPAs (Chapter 18) – indicating that most of the southern states appear to have little indigenous input into their MPA management; (ii) that the focus of attention on MPAs may have meant the ball has been dropped on ecosystem based spatial management more widely across the country (Chapter 19); (iii) a quantitative social science review of the opinions of Australians on MPAs based on published studies over the last ten years (Chapter 20); (iv) a quantitative review of the perceived and quantified impacts of MPAs on recreational fishing (Chapter 21); (v) lessons from a commercial fishery in relation to MPA negotiations (Chapter 22); and (vi) a review of the development and outcomes of the campaign for a comprehensive federal system of MPAs. This fourth section is what I found to be the most interesting and could have been a book on its own. This would suggest that a complementary book extending and adding to these topics would be clearly possible and highly valuable.
I only have a few small criticisms of the book. Firstly, that the overall synthesis in the final chapter is fairly brief. For the almost 400 pages preceding it, six pages of text to synthesise the book seemed a little too brief. That being said, it appeared to cover most of the major topics and brevity at this stage of the book may have been an indication of the effort required to bring it all together and to not be too heavy handed in this final chapter. Secondly, on a few occasions, some of the conclusions or lessons from some chapters do not seem to be based on the information provided in the chapters but appear out of the blue. Presumably they come from the authors’ knowledge or experiences which were not explained within the chapter (e.g. Chapter 8). Thirdly, I was slightly disappointed with the initial focus in the book (Chapter 2) on an international perspective. To me, this seemed to detract from Australia as a world leader in conservation approaches and is especially important as Australia has been setting the scene internationally in relation to MPAs consistently and for a long period of time (e.g. the commencement of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act in 1975; and being one of the first countries to develop and implement of a comprehensive system of state and federal MPA systems). This is possibly a little too critical – but as the book was subtitled Lessons from Australia’s Marine Protected Areas, I would have preferred a chapter towards the end of the book which put the Australian situation within a worldwide context. Placing the Australian MPA development and system in an international framework at the end of the book, I think, would have been more appropriate and highlighted the leadership of Australia in the development of MPAs and where Australia has led the trend rather than just followed the trend in relation to MPAs.
The editors have assembled a diverse range of opinions in this book – including some critical of the implementation and operation of numerous aspects of MPAs and their management. It should be noted, however, that many specialists in various fields are far more critical of MPAs than those presented here. Nonetheless, a wide range of authors have contributed to this book from highly experienced protected area administrators, marine scientists, high profile conservationists, non-government organisational staff and importantly stakeholder groups that have been affected by MPAs. Hence, it provides a robust and extensive coverage and critique of MPA development in Australia.
Overall, this is not a book that can be read easily from cover to cover; and is more of a book from which you might pick and choose sections as they relate to your interests or what you need to know about specific MPA systems. I have no doubt though, that this book is a fantastic reference for anyone interested in the nitty gritty of MPAs in Australia and provides an essential reference or primer for anyone working in marine protected areas – whether they are for or against this kind of management approach. Beyond a reference, it provides stimulating discussion and coverage of a range of topics critiquing and celebrating MPA systems across Australia.
Reviewed by Nathan Knott