Few large-scale marine areas on our planet remain rich in conservation values and largely beyond the reach of industrial, commercial and residential development. The Kimberley is one of a very few such places left on the planet.
This marine area is recognised as one of the world’s most ecologically diverse, and in the first global analysis of human impacts on marine ecosystems, the environment of northern Australia, including the Kimberley, was rated as one of the few relatively pristine coastal areas left on Earth, the other identified areas being confined to the polar regions (Halpern et al. 2008). Up until now, the remoteness of this area has protected this beautiful environment from impacts felt elsewhere. For this reason too, we are only just beginning to properly understand the full suite of environmental values.
Traditional Owners of this coast have of course known the value of their sea country for many tens of thousands of years.