Australia: excellent News!

Fantastic: Australia's proposed networks of MPAs. Click for detail - detailed maps here.

And talking about leadership.
Check this out.



Bravo Tony Burke - this is really bold and visionary!
As one of my smart Ozzie friends explains

The decision is fantastic for a couple of reasons:

• A vast area of the ocean has been afforded protection at various levels – I don’t know the exact pre-Aussie announcement numbers but I think as of 2011, about 7.5M km2 were protected globally so this adds another 40% ish
  

• It includes a significant backbone of highly protected sanctuary zones in which no extractive activities are allowed (fishing, mining, oil and gas) of some 800,000 km2. This is the largest network of SANCTUARIES in the world.

• Australia is the first country to demonstrate its commitment to marine sanctuaries throughout its EEZ. This sends a clear message globally that highly protected marine “national parks” are recognized as an important strategy in ensuring healthy oceans. Our challenge to date has not been that sanctuaries don’t work, but that we have too few of them globally.

Story here, here and here, official details here.
Like in any good compromise, both the more radical environmentalists and the fishermen are unhappy, and the opposition is trying to use this for political gain. I say, screw them all, this is just simply brilliant!
Kudos to Burke and everybody else involved, especially once again Pew under the leadership of Barry Traill, Michelle Grady who lobbied for the South-West Network and Imogen Zethoven of the Coral Sea campaign!

Now..
What about the Grey Nurse in NSW, the Shark fishing within the GBR and the abominable slaughter in Queensland!
Leadership please!