A comprehensive, multiple-use zoning system governs all human activities, providing high levels of protection for specific areas, whilst allowing a variety of other uses, including shipping, fishing, dredging and aquaculture, to continue in other zones.

This means that virtually all reasonable activities are permitted, but zoned and regulated to minimise impacts and conflicts, whilst ensuring an overriding conservation objective. The Representative Areas Program (RAP) was a complex planning and consultative program that resulted in a new zoning network for the GBRMP in mid 2004.

The final outcome included an increase in ‘no-take´ zones from less than 5% to more than 33%, and has been internationally recognised as “best practice". Today it comprises the world´s largest systematic network of marine ‘no-take´ zones.

Scientific knowledge played an important part of the rezoning, but the successful outcome relied significantly upon two other critical, inter dependent aspects — the high level of public participation and the consequent socio-political support. All three aspects were essential, but the best scientific arguments in the world alone would not have achieved the final zoning plan.

This presentation will outline the RAP and discuss the importance of involving the public and the political decision-makers throughout the planning process, with lessons learnt for marine and coastal planning elsewhere.

About Jon Day
Jon Day is Director of a new cross-agency Taskforce to coordinate a forward-looking ‘Outlook Report´ for the Great Barrier Reef (GBR).

He has over 31 years of professional experience as a natural area manager. Between 1998-2004, Jon was responsible for the Representative Areas Program (RAP) of the GBR, which has received eleven national and international awards, including the UNESCO/MAB Environmental Prize.

Jon has 30 publications on marine protected areas, and has given lectures and training workshops in 13 countries. In 2004, he was awarded an Australian Public Service Medal and a Smithsonian-Queensland Fellowship.