Nature, culture and history

Natural environment

Moreton Bay Marine Park, declared in 1993, protects a vast array of marine habitats, plants and animals. Covering more than 3400km² of open and sheltered waterways and dotted with islands, Moreton Bay Marine Park includes some of Australia's premier wetlands. Extensive mangroves and tidal flats support and shelter fish, birds and other wildlife. Sandflats provide feeding and roosting sites for shorebirds and seagrass beds nurture fish, shellfish, dugong and turtles.

Moreton Bay wetlands

In 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar, representatives from 18 nations signed the Convention on Wetlands of International Significance (known as the Ramsar Convention) to stop global loss of wetlands, and to conserve and sustainably manage remaining wetlands. Moreton Bay is one of Australia's largest sites listed under the Ramsar Convention.

The wetlands of the Moreton Bay Ramsar site are extremely varied and range from perched freshwater lakes and sedge swamps on the offshore sand islands, to intertidal mudflats, saltmarshes, sandflats and mangroves adjoining the bay's islands and the mainland. This variety in habitats contributes to the bay's biological diversity. The high diversity is also due to the location and climate of the bay; it supports tropical, subtropical and temperate wildlife species.

There are 11 declared Fish Habitat Areas (FHAs) within Moreton Bay Marine Park: Pumicestone Channel, Deception Bay, Kippa-Ring, Hay’s Inlet, Moreton Banks, Myora-Amity Banks, Peel Island, Jumpinpin-Broadwater, Pimpama, Coomera, Coombabah. Queensland’s first FHAs were declared in Moreton Bay in 1969. Declared FHAs protect important fish habitats like mangroves, seagrass, saltmarsh and mudflats from the impacts of coastal development, while still allowing legal fishing.

Habitats

The range of different habitats within the Moreton Bay Marine Park collectively contribute to the marine park’s biodiversity and play a critical role in sustaining populations, communities and species, including threatened species such as turtles and dugong.

Read more about some of the habitats that occur within the Moreton Bay Marine Park.

• Reef habitats
• Seagrass
• Mangroves
• Saltmarsh

Threats to habitats in the marine park

• deterioration in water quality from catchment-based run-off and storm events
• degradation and/or removal to facilitate foreshore development and coastal infrastructure
• physical damage from uncontrolled access to sites from vehicles, vessels, feral animals and human use or interaction
• alterations to flooding and tidal regimes
• climate-change impacts, such as rising sea levels and increasing sea surface temperatures, severe weather events (e.g. cyclones/floods that damage seagrass and/or corals)
• dredging, reclamation, beach nourishment and development of erosion control structures.

Wildlife

Read more about some species of interest in the Moreton Bay Marine Park.

• whales
• dolphins
• dugongs
• turtles
• grey nurse shark
• shorebirds

Culture and history

A continuing culture: The land and sea Country within and adjoining the Moreton Bay Marine Park has significant natural and cultural values, both physical (tangible) and non-physical (intangible), which intertwine and interconnect to form a rich cultural landscape that consists of all the land and waters, the air, the sky, the flora and fauna and people.

The Kabi Kabi, Quandamooka, Jagera, Turrbal and Yugambeh-speaking peoples have an ongoing and enduring connection to the waters and surrounding coastline forming the marine park, with First Nations peoples’ use of the coast and marine region extending back thousands of years and continuing today.

QPWS recognises the rights, interests and custodial responsibilities of First Nations peoples and works with First Nations groups to manage sea Country resources within the marine park.