Bioregions

Management through Bioregions

In order to better understand Australia’s marine environment scientists have defined 32 distinct marine bioregions around the country. Bioregions were decided based on common geological, climatic and ecological characteristics.

Defining bioregions was a key step in the process of developing a national system of marine protected areas, a system that aims to protect the full range of habitats and ecological processes present in Australia’s marine environment. NSW waters have 5 bioregions and 1 marine province:

• Tweed-Moreton Bioregion
• Manning Shelf Bioregion
• Hawkesbury Shelf Bioregion
• Batemans Shelf Bioregion
• Twofold Shelf Bioregion:
• Lord Howe Island Marine Province

• Tweed Moreton Bioregion: starts over the border in southern Queensland (25º S) and extends south to Nambucca Heads in NSW (30º 40’S).

• Manning Shelf Bioregion: from the northern side of the mouth of the Nambucca River at Nambucca Heads south to Stockton on the northern side of the mouth of the Hunter River (32º 54’S).

• Hawkesbury Shelf Bioregion: from the northern side of the mouth of the Hunter River at Stockton south to Shellharbour (34º 35’S)

• Batemans Shelf Bioregion: from Shellharbour (34º 35’ S.) south to Wallagoot Lake, which is south of Bega (36º 48’ S).

• Twofold Shelf Bioregion: from Wallagoot Lake across the state border into Victoria

• Lord Howe Island Marine Province: the waters around Lord Howe Island

• Sydney Harbour: all waters inside Sydney Heads