About the zoning plan

The Moreton Bay Marine Park is a State marine park, managed by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS), through the Marine Parks (Moreton Bay) Zoning Plan 2019.

It is an area of exceptional conservation value. Read more about the marine park’s nature, culture and history.

Marine park management aims to ensure the Moreton Bay Marine Park remains a diverse, resilient and productive ecological system that can be enjoyed and accessed in a sustainable way. Like all State marine parks in Queensland, the Moreton Bay Marine Park is a multiple use marine protected area established to support the long-term protection of the natural and cultural values of the area while providing opportunities for a range of uses, such as recreational and commercial fishing, boating, research, coastal works and tourism.

The Marine Parks (Moreton Bay) Zoning Plan 2019 provides the management detail for the marine park, to protect the natural, cultural and use values while balancing its ecologically sustainable use. This is supported by public education programs, signs, permits, compliance programs, routine surveillance and scientific monitoring. The zoning plan is also the primary management tool for the Moreton Bay Ramsar site.

The zoning plan:

• establishes and defines the location of a network of spatially defined zones which afford different levels of protection and use (marine national park, conservation park, habitat protection and general use zones)
• details special management arrangements for particular values or uses at specific locations, e.g. via designated area provisions
• includes entry or use provisions for each zone and designated area that specify activities that are either as of right or require a permit
• applies offence provisions and penalties for non-compliance with zoning plan requirements.

Visit the maps and resources page for information about zoning maps.

Zoning plan history

Moreton Bay has had a long history of use, much of which was exploitative industrial uses such as coral mining, sand mining and whaling. In the mid-1960s, strong public opposition arose against plans for a canal estate and further mining. This resulted in the first fish habitat areas being declared in Moreton Bay. The Moreton Bay Marine Park was first established in 1993, after a long community campaign by local conservationists, scientists, tourism groups and educators.

The first marine park zoning plan commenced in 1997. Following a comprehensive review, the Marine Parks (Moreton Bay) Zoning Plan 2008 then came into effect on 1 March 2009. In 2019, the Zoning Plan was remade and the Marine Parks (Moreton Bay) Zoning Plan 2019 commenced on 1 September 2019. The remake included minor administrative amendments only and no changes were made to zones, designated areas or entry and use requirements. The 2019 zoning plan is currently under review - find out more about the zoning plan remake and review process.