Turning knowledge into Ocean Action

A Packed House for Ocean Action in Byron Bay!

More than 60 ocean advocates came together in Byron Bay for a Night of Ocean Action, raising their voices for stronger protection of our extraordinary marine environment.

What an inspiring evening of community action for our ocean! In September, more than 60 passionate community members joined us for Ocean Future Byron Bay – A Night of Ocean Action, coming together to learn, connect and take meaningful action to help shape the future of marine protection in Australia.

With the Australian Government reviewing the Temperate East Marine Parks Network and the NSW 30×30 campaign calling for stronger marine protection in state waters, the evening provided a timely opportunity for our community to speak up and help shape the future of our oceans.

From the shallows to the deep – protecting our connected ocean

Our Byron–Tweed Hope Spot Champions, Dr Liz Hawkins and Alice Forrest, took participants on a journey through our remarkable marine environment, from the shallow estuaries, rocky reefs and coastal habitats of Cape Byron Marine Park to the continental shelf, deep submarine canyons and ancient volcanic seamounts of the Temperate East region.

Our region is a remarkable meeting place for tropical, subtropical and temperate marine life, supporting an extraordinary diversity of species and ecosystems.

But marine life doesn’t recognise marine park boundaries. Whales, dolphins, sharks, turtles and seabirds move between habitats, across jurisdictional boundaries and between protected and unprotected waters.

While marine parks provide important protection, significant gaps remain. Many ecologically important habitats are under-represented in highly protected areas, and some marine park zones continue to allow activities that place pressure on marine ecosystems.

With warming oceans, changing currents, marine heatwaves, pollution and other growing pressures, strengthening marine protection has never been more important.

Turning knowledge into ocean action

The evening wasn’t just about learning — it was about taking action!

With important decisions being made about the future of marine protection in Australia, participants were guided by our guest speakers; Dailan Pugh, James Sherwood (from AMCS) and Danielle Ryan (from NSWNPA) and encouraged and supported to make their voices heard at both state and Commonwealth levels.

At the Commonwealth level, participants were invited to make submissions to the Temperate East Marine Parks Network review, calling for a comprehensive, adequate and representative network of highly protected marine areas that safeguards the extraordinary diversity of habitats, species and ecological processes — from our coastlines to the deep sea.

Closer to home, participants also took action as part of the NSW 30×30 campaign, writing letters to the NSW Premier calling for stronger marine protection and urging the NSW Government to protect 30% of our oceans by 2030.

Together, these actions highlighted the importance of strengthening marine protection across state and Commonwealth waters, improving ecological connectivity, safeguarding critical habitats for threatened and migratory species, and ensuring our marine parks deliver meaningful conservation outcomes.

It was inspiring to see our community turning their passion for the ocean into meaningful action — using their voices to help shape a healthier future for our marine environment.

Our community making waves!

It was fantastic to see a packed room of more than 60 people willing to give their time and lend their voices to protecting our ocean.

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us, contributed to the discussions, wrote letters and made submissions. Every voice helps demonstrate how much our community values our marine environment and wants to see it protected for future generations.

This is what our Byron–Tweed Region Hope Spot Ocean Champion Program is all about — bringing people together, building knowledge and empowering our community to take meaningful grassroots action for our ocean.

From citizen science and biodiversity monitoring to marine debris clean-ups, habitat restoration and advocating for stronger environmental protection, our Ocean Champions are helping turn awareness into action.

Together, we can help create a healthier, more resilient future for our marine environment.

Huge thanks to Patagonia for supporting the event!

One ocean. Many habitats. One connected future.