The NT Greens are committed to a cooperative approach between government, Aboriginal Traditional Owners, the wider community and industry, to ensure we effectively protect and sustainably manage our precious marine environment.
NT waters are a global biodiversity hotspot for rare, vulnerable and endangered species. We are blessed with one of the last relatively pristine tropical marine ecosystems left on the planet, and Territorians have a unique opportunity to act in order to protect our healthy marine environment for future generations.
Territory fishing - both recreational and commercial - depends on the effective protection of critical marine nurseries and habitats, including mangroves, estuaries, sea-grass and reefs, which in turn are impacted on by interconnected land management.
We want to:
- Institute effective catchment management to reduce land-based sources of marine pollution.
- pursue a thorough scientific assessment and evaluation of biological, physical, recreational and cultural resources and values to facilitate future planning.
- Closely scrutinize petroleum exploration and development in northern waters to identify and mitigate potential risks from spills and accidents to sensitive marine environments
- Restrict the use of underwater blasting, seismic testing and other technologies that cause ecological harm, particularly to marine mammals.
We will:
- Upgrade sewerage treatment plants in Darwin Harbour
- Ban sea-bed mining in Northern Territory waters.
- Identify significant mangrove communities for high level protection and active management as conservation reserves;
- Introduce zoning level protection that prohibits the clearing and other destructive actions in all remaining mangroves, providing exceptions to accommodate planned community access to waterways;
- Prohibit the development of canal estates, as already banned in other Australian states
We support targeted investment in fishing clinics for young people to teach new-comers how to fish responsibly, and provide recreation options for young people and families. The crisis in youth justice has highlighted the need for young people to have opportunities and options outside offending. We recognise see the value in public funding of some other sports in the NT: and that's great. But young Territorians need more options, and fishing is an obvious candidate.