2 November 2012

On Sunday November, 4 2012 at 12pm, ABC Landline will air a story looking to the Federal Government’s controversial Marine Reserves and their impact on commercial fishing.

Professor Hugh Possingham from The University of Queensland's Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions will discuss how Marxan Software was implemented to design the exclusion zones to ensure the best environmental outcomes with the least impact on stakeholders.

The amendments made to the Marine Reserve design by the Government to allow for coal and gas exploration on Western Australia’s Kimberley preserves is also discussed as well as responses from commercial fishers who are affected by the new exclusion zones.

A $35 billion LNG industrial development has been proposed in the Kimberly area by the Western Australian Government, Woodside Petroleum and its Joint Venture Partners.

The program will be available on ABC iView soon after at http://www.abc.net.au/iview/