[1] The Cape Byron Marine Park is located in Northern NSW and extends 37 kilometres (23 mi) from the Brunswick River to Lennox Head.
The Cape Byron Marine Park caters to both commercial and recreational uses including fishing, swimming, diving, walking, and other beach activities.
[5] The presence of the EAC plays an important role in transporting tropical flora and fauna into Southern Hemisphere temperate zones.
[6] The major ecosystems in the Cape Byron Marine Park are estuaries, rocky shores and platforms, sub tidal reefs and emergent rocks and islands, sandy beaches, and open oceans.
The flora also plays a role in improving water quality and the filtering of sediments which create a more hospital and liveable environment for the local marine life.
[1] The seagrass found in the estuaries, Zostera capricorni, is an important habitat for many fish and crustaceans including dugongs and green turtles.
The NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 identifies the migratory little tern (Sterna albifrons) and the beach stone-curlew (Esacus neglectus) as endangered.
[10] Although no invertebrates have been identified as endangered or vulnerable, it is important to acknowledge that there are a plethora of them within the Cape Byron Marine Park which are critical to the health of the local ecosystems.
These include a variety of molluscs such as the gold ring cowries (Cypraea annulus), crustaceans such as the zebra shrimp (Ganthophylum americanum) and the seven armed sea star (Luidia australiae).
These environmental threats and issues include tourism and recreational use, fishing, pollution, development, invasive species, disease and climate change.
[11] Tourism and recreational use of the Cape Byron Marine Park has impacted on the populations of grey nurse sharks (Carcharias taurus).
[1] Recreational fishing which is permitted in the Cape Byron Marine Park has also been linked to mortality rates of grey nurse sharks.
[14] The increased prevalence of this virus has been linked to environmental factors such spikes in seasonal water temperatures and harmful algae bloom.
[17] Coastal developments have also been known to impact on the local saltmarsh and mangrove communities which are critical habitat for several species of marine life and birdlife.
[22] This will impact negatively on the rare back coral trees (Antipathes grandis) found within the Cape Byron Marine Park.
The Marine Parks Authority has a role in influencing the programs and initiatives that it is not directly responsible for and attempting to work in collaboration in order to achieve common goals.