Marine park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A marine park is a park consisting of an area of sea (or sometimes a lake) sometimes protected for recreational use, but more often set aside to preserve a specific habitat and ensure the ecosystem is sustained for the organisms that exist there. Most marine parks are designated by governments, and organized like watery national parks.
A theme park featuring sea life may be a sort of combination of marine park, public aquarium, and zoo, with a variety of animals kept inside, outside in enclosed tanks, or outside in the sea, fenced in order to keep them from wandering off.
Some marine parks are quite large; the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in Australia is the largest, at 350,000 km².
Although for many uses it is sufficient to designate the boundaries of the marine park and to inform commercial fishing boats and other maritime enterprises, some parks have gone to additional effort to make their wonders accessible to visitors. These can range from glass-bottomed boats, to small submarines, to windowed undersea tubes.
In New Zealand a marine reserve is an area which has a higher degree of legal protection than marine parks for conservation purposes.
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[edit] Marine parks around the globe
[edit] Americas
- SeaWorld, United States
- Coral World, Saint Thomas Island
- Marine park of the Santa Marta aquarium , Colombia
- Mundo Marino at San Clemente del Tuyú, Argentina
[edit] Australia
- Sea World, Australia
- UnderWater World, Australia
[edit] New Zealand
- Mimiwhangata Marine Park
- Tawharanui Marine Park
- Hauraki Gulf Marine Park
Zoo • Public aquarium • Aviary • Menagerie • Tourist attraction
List of zoos • List of aquaria • List of zoo associations
Animals in captivity • Environmental enrichment • Endangered species • Conservation biology • Biodiversity • Endangered species • Extinction • Ex-situ conservation • In-situ conservation • Wildlife conservation • Zoology
