Covering 744,070 square kilometres of remote tropical ocean, reef and lagoon habitat, Christmas Island Marine Park and Cocos (Keeling) Islands Marine Park are the two newest additions to the national network of Australian Marine Parks.
Established in March 2022, these new marine parks will help protect the unique marine environments of Australia's Indian Ocean Territories (IOT) and support positive social and economic outcomes for local communities and other marine users. These new marine park protections will build on the work of Christmas Island National Park and Pulu Keeling National Park, which have helped to protect the unique island environments of the IOT for decades.
The marine environment of the IOT is known for iconic species such as whale sharks, turtles, manta rays, spinner dolphins and a vast array of seabirds. There are also lesser known but equally fascinating species, including locally evolved hybrid fish which result from the mixing of waters from the Indian and Pacific Oceans in the IOT. Locals and visitors can experience the magnificent marine world of the IOT under their own steam or by connecting with a local tour operator to head out scuba diving, snorkelling, kite surfing, kayaking, free diving or fishing.
The new Christmas Island Marine Park and Cocos (Keeling) Islands Marine Park protect 744,000 square kilometres of unique marine environment around these remote islands. The marine parks were co-designed with the local communities of Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands to ensure that they also support important local marine activities, such as recreational and subsistence fishing, boating, diving, snorkelling and marine tourism.
The marine environment of the IOT is known for iconic species such as whale sharks, turtles, manta rays, spinner dolphins and a vast array of seabirds. There are also lesser known but equally fascinating species, including locally evolved hybrid fish which result from the mixing of waters from the Indian and Pacific Oceans in the IOT.
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