Moreton Bay Marine Park

Moreton Bay Marine Park
Queensland
Aerial photo of Mud Island, 2009
The coastline at Point Lookout is zoned as a conservation park
Moreton Bay Marine Park
Nearest town or cityBrisbane
Coordinates27°25′48″S 153°23′47″E / 27.43000°S 153.39639°E / -27.43000; 153.39639
Established1993
Area3,400 km2 (1,312.7 sq mi)
RegionSouth East Queensland
Managing authoritiesQueensland Parks and Wildlife Service
WebsiteMoreton Bay Marine Park

The Moreton Bay Marine Park was established in 1993 to protect ecologically significant habitats in Moreton Bay. The marine park extends from Caloundra south to the southern tip of South Stradbroke Island. The marine park's border extends up to the highest tidal mark and covers a total of 3,400 km2.

The marine park provides protection to sensitive reef sites near Tangalooma and Flinders Reef. It includes waterways such as Coombabah Lake, sheltered inlets, open ocean, mangrove forests, swamps, marshes, tidal mudflats, sandflats and seagrass beds. It is a temporary home to migrating shorebirds that inhabit wetlands. Dugongs, whales and turtles swim in the waters of the bay. Six of the world's seven species of sea turtles habitat the park.

The marine park is managed by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service. In 1971, a total of 18 countries signed a Convention on Wetlands of International Significance. It was signed in Ramsar, a city in Iran, and came to be known as the Ramsar Convention, which aimed at stopping global loss of wetlands, and conservation and sustainable management of the remaining wetlands. Moreton Bay is among Australia's largest sites which is listed under the Ramsar Convention.