14 DAY TRIAL // A recent announcement made by Western Australia Premier Colin Barnett says that a new national and marine park is soon to be established in this part of the world.
More precisely, it looks like both Australian officials and ordinary folks are now quite eager to better safeguard their iconic Horizontal Falls and the natural ecosystems found in its proximity by listing them as a Class A national and marine park.
For the time being, no information concerning the park's precise borders have been made available to the general public, and it looks like Australian officials are still a tad fuzzy on this topic themselves.
Still, Our Amazing Planet explains that the marine park is set to stretch over a total of 1,160 square miles (about 3,000 square kilometers), meaning that the Great Kimberley Marine Park will be expanded to a whopping 10,000 square miles (approximately 26,000 square kilometers).
For those unaware, having these natural ecosystems listed as a Class A park basically means that they are to benefit from the highest level of protection that the Australian government can provide.
The same source informs us that this new national and marine park is to be administered in partnership with its traditional owners, the Dambimangari people, and that fishing and tourism will be allowed within reasonable limits.
“The extraordinary Horizontal Falls are an internationally renowned tourist attraction and it is imperative we maintain the pristine environment that surrounds them,” Western Australia Premier Colin Barnett offered as an explanation for this decision to set up a new park.
On the other hand, John Carey, a conservationist presently working with the Pew Environment Group, wished to emphasize the fact that, “Protecting the Kimberley coast and its marine and bird life provides a balance to the rapid spread of mining and other industrial development.”
Just for the record, the Horizontal Falls are not really a waterfall. Thus, this area is made up of several parallel gorges with narrow openings that allow seawater to rush with the ebb and flow of the tide.