A Mission Blue Hope Spot is a special place that’s scientifically identified as critical to the health of the ocean.  These Hope Spots are championed by local conservationists – with the Byron Bay Hope Spot championed by founder and CEO of Dolphin Research Australia (DRA) Dr Elizabeth Hawkins and marine biologist and wildlife guide Alice Forrest. This proposal was supported by many local organisations, businesses and stakeholders, and the resulting classification is used as a way to unify all these groups and people, bringing us together to protect what we love. While the project is coordinated and supported by Dolphin Research Australia, it’s a collaborative community project.  

Our Hope Spot runs from the Richmond River to Brunswick River, including Julian Rocks Nguthungulli Nature Reserve as well as the broader Cape Byron Marine Park and related waterways. Here in Northern NSW we have a unique marine park on one of the most diverse stretches of coastline in the world, protecting high levels of biodiversity, a culturally significant site to local aboriginal communities and the basis of our tourist economy. But this important coastal region is threatened and requires many actions locally to ensure its long term protection.