The Australian coastline is vast and diverse. There are sandy beaches, idyllic islands, spreading mangroves, steep cliffs, sharp rocks and ancient dune systems.

But coastlines are susceptible to environmental degradation.

Unsustainable fishing practices, like the littering of thousands of fishing nets across northern Australia, have caused cruel and widespread deaths of marine life. Predation by feral animals, for example pigs eating turtle eggs in Cape York, have drastically impacted native animal populations. The coastline is also Australia’s frontline against biosecurity threats, for example disease-bearing animals transported from countries to our north.

25 Indigenous Protected Areas include management of coastline and sea country, and over a quarter of ranger groups undertake a range of sea country management activities such as marine patrols, collecting discarded nets and other debris and turtle and dugong monitoring.