Prince Regent Nature Reserve is a protected area in the Kimberley region of Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

. In 1978 the area was nominated as a UNESCO

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

 World Biosphere Reserve.

Description

The reserve covers a total area of 633825 hectares (1,566,214 acre) and was created in 1964 to protect the catchment

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

 area of the Prince Regent River

Prince Regent River

The Prince Regent River is a river in the Kimberley of Western Australia.The headwaters of the river rise in the Caroline Range near Mount Agnes then flow in a north westerly direction...

. The northern boundary of the Reserve abuts the southern boundary of the Mitchell River National Park

Mitchell River National Park (Western Australia)

Mitchell River National Park is a national park in the Kimberley region of Western Australia , northeast of Perth. The park adjoins the northern boundary of the Prince Regent Nature Reserve. The nearest towns are Derby which is to the southwest and Wyndham which is to the southeast...

 creating a protected area of over 750000 hectares (1,853,289 acre) The landscape of the Reserve ranges from lush rainforest

Rainforest

Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...

 to sandstone

Sandstone

Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...

 plains. The area contains gorges, waterfalls, cliffs and mountain ranges.

Wildlife

More than half of the bird

Bird

Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...

 and mammal

Mammal

Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...

 species found in the Kimberley region are found within the reserve. It is home to the Monjon

Monjon

The Monjon , also known as the Warabi and Burbridge's Rock Weasel, is the smallest of the many species of rock-wallaby found in Australia. It is found in areas of the Kimberley region of Western Australia and also on some islands in the Bonaparte Archipelago.The Monjon was described in 1978, having...

, the smallest of the Rock-wallabies, and the Golden Bandicoot

Golden Bandicoot

The Golden Bandicoot is a short-nosed bandicoot found in northern Australia. It is by far the smallest of its genus, being a little over half the size of its relatives the Northern Brown Bandicoot and the Southern Brown Bandicoot .The Golden Bandicoot is now a threatened species...

 - listed as a vulnerable species. The reserve is part of the Prince Regent and Mitchell River Important Bird Area

Prince Regent and Mitchell River Important Bird Area

The Prince Regent and Mitchell River Important Bird Area is a 7333 km2 tract of land comprising several contiguous protected areas in the north-west Kimberley region of northern Western Australia...

, identified as such by BirdLife International

BirdLife International

BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...

 because of its importance for a range of bird species, especially those retricted to tropical savanna habitats

Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands

Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands are a grassland terrestrial biome located in semi-arid to semi-humid climate regions of subtropical and tropical latitudes. Grasslands are dominated by grass and other herbaceous plants. Savannas are grasslands with scattered trees...

.

Access

The area remains one of Australia's most remote wilderness

Wilderness

Wilderness or wildland is a natural environment on Earth that has not been significantly modified by human activity. It may also be defined as: "The most intact, undisturbed wild natural areas left on our planet—those last truly wild places that humans do not control and have not developed with...

 areas with no roads and formidable tide-races and whirlpools restricting seaward access. The area is mostly accessed by air or by boat and has remained virtually unchanged since Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

an settlement of Western Australia. A permit is required to enter the Reserve and can be obtained from the Department of Conservation and Land Management.