Cockburn Sound Management Council

The Cockburn Sound Management Council provides advice to the Minister for Environment on the environmental management of Cockburn Sound, in particular the protection and maintenance of water quality and associated environmental values of the Cockburn Sound marine area.
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Image of Cockburn Sound

Who we are

The Cockburn Sound Management Council is an advisory council to the Minister for Environment—established under s 25 the Environmental Protection Act 1986. The Council was set up in 2000 as a Committee of the Water and Rivers Commission's Board.

The Council provides advice to the Minister for Environment on the environmental management of Cockburn Sound, in particular the protection and maintenance of water quality and associated environmental values of the Cockburn Sound marine area.

The Council facilitates and coordinates stakeholder and community input into the environmental management of Cockburn Sound. The Council's members include representatives from the community, conservation and recreation groups, industry and local, State and Australian Government agencies. You can view a list of the Council members and the terms of reference below or in the document collection.

Council-supported research projects

The Council oversees and coordinates research and investigative studies in Cockburn Sound. Recent research projects supported by the Council include the Cockburn Sound Drivers, Pressures, State, Impacts, Responses Assessment. The summary and final reports can be viewed below or in the document collection.

State of Cockburn Sound

The Council reports annually to the Minister for Environment on the results of environmental monitoring of Cockburn Sound and the extent to which the results meet the environmental quality objectives and criteria set in the State Environmental (Cockburn Sound) Policy 2015.

Every three years the Council reports on the overall state of the Cockburn Sound marine area, including trends in water quality and associated environmental values. The second State of Cockburn Sound marine area report was published in July 2023. You can also view this report in the document collection.

More information

Technical reports, including information on water quality and seagrass health in Cockburn Sound are available in the document collection.

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