Publication Name

The Sydney Morning Herald

Author(s)

AAP

The biggest humpback whale calving area in the southern hemisphere will be protected within a new marine park to be created on the Kimberley coast by the West Australian government.

Conservation groups have welcomed the creation of the nearly 7000 sq km Camden Sound Marine Park, about 300km northeast of Broome, to be co-managed by traditional owners.

Announcing the park would be created by mid-2012, Premier Colin Barnett told reporters on Thursday that his Liberal Party agreed that protecting the Kimberley was "perhaps the most important environmental issue that this generation faces".

…

The Pew Environment Group, which advised on the park's boundaries, said it took the region a step closer to becoming an international tourism and conservation attraction alongside the Great Barrier Reef.

"The reefs and marine life of the Kimberley are as significant as what's found on the Great Barrier Reef. However, to date less than one per cent of the region has had any protection," spokesman John Carey said.

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To read the full article, WA's Kimberley Gets New Marine Park, on the Sydney Morning Herald website.