In 2002, the very best samples of Victoria’s marine biodiversity including rocky reefs, seagrass meadows, and ocean beaches were hand-picked to be protected forever.

Victoria established one of the world’s first representative system of fully protected 13 large marine national parks and 11 smaller marine sanctuaries. Parks Victoria was appointed as the managers of these parks.

People often think about tropical coral and warm water when we talk about Australia’s marine life, but here in Victoria we have some of the rarest and most diverse habitats in the world. We work with partners and volunteers to manage Victoria’s marine protected areas not just because these places offer us a place to enjoy, or because they contribute to a healthy liveable environment, but because these places are important. They’re beautiful and rare and brimming with life.

Management of marine protected areas

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) span Victoria’s five marine bioregions and aim to conserve and protect ecological processes, habitats and associated flora and fauna. Marine National Parks and Marine Sanctuaries are “no-take” areas, while the other Marine and Coastal Parks, Marine Parks and a Marine Reserve are managed or multiple uses.

Parks Victoria manages MPAs using an asset-led and objectives-based approach, which includes clear and measurable statements of desired condition of the natural assets they were established to conserve, and acceptable levels of threat to those assets. This asset-led approach to management sits within an Adaptive Management Framework, which is a structured way of learning by doing.

Webinar series

Watch the recordings of our special 2022 webinar series in celebration of the twenty-year anniversary of Victoria’s Marine National Parks.

The webinars will take you on a journey beneath the waves to learn more about our local marine environments, find out what is being done to help look after these special places in the sea, and meet some of the wonderful people involved in caring for them.