About marine habitats
Oceans and seas cover more than 70 per cent of our planet. That's a lot of living space for marine plants and animals.
In Australia, we're lucky because our coastline stretches 36,000 kilometres from the tropical north to the cool temperate zones. This vast expanse means a wide variety of marine life thrives in our waters.
Australia has the highest diversity of temperate seagrass in the world. It also boasts the world's highest mangrove species diversity. Our rocky shores also support many plants and animals that are unique to Australia, living nowhere else in the world.
However, Australia's marine biodiversity is under increasing pressure from humans. Understanding more about our marine habitats will help us appreciate their value and encourage us to work to protect them.