Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Zoning Plan 2003: Geospatial Boundaries

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority zoning data effective 1st July 2004, derived from the 2003 Zoning Plan. The dataset resulted from the Representative Areas Programme, a systematic planning effort between 1999 and 2004 to increase biodiversity protection. It defines multiple-use zones, including no-take 'Green Zones', to manage activities and protect the marine environment.

Use Cases

• Mapping marine protected area boundaries based on the described zoning categories (e.g., General Use, Marine National Park).
• Analyzing spatial restrictions for activities like fishing or research based on the permitted/disallowed activities per zone.
• Assessing the coverage of no-take 'Green Zones' and habitat representation as part of the Representative Areas Programme.
• Supporting marine spatial planning by separating conflicting human uses based on the zoning plan's definitions.

Strengths

• Dataset is linked to an official zoning plan (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Zoning Plan 2003) with a defined effective date.
• Description details the systematic planning program (Representative Areas Programme) conducted between 1999 and 2004.
• Provides clear summaries of allowed/disallowed activities for seven distinct zone types.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale analysis.
• Metadata notes this record is not authoritative and refers users to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.

Provenance

Source

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA), via the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

Derived from the statutory Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Zoning Plan 2003.

Time Range

Effective from 1st July 2004, based on planning from 1999-2004.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-10 12:18:39.362488; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Australia.