Protected areas of Australia
Encyclopedia
Protected areas of Australia include Commonwealth and off-shore protected area
s managed by the Australian government, as well as protected areas within each of the six states of Australia
and two self-governing territories (Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory), which are managed by the eight state and territory governments.
Commonwealth and off-shore protected areas in the Australian Capital Territory
, the Northern Territory
, the Christmas Island
Territory, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Territory, the Norfolk Island
Territory and the Australian Antarctic Territory
are managed by Parks Australia, a division of the Department of the Environment and Water Resources, with the exception of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
, which is managed by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, a separate body within the department.
Protected areas cover 895,288 km² of Australia's land area, or about 11.5% of the total land area. The Australian Capital Territory has the highest level of protection at nearly 55% of its territory, followed by Tasmania with nearly 40% and South Australia with 25%. Lowest level of protection is in Queensland and the Northern Territory with less than 6%. Of all protected ares, two-thirds are considered strictly protected (IUCN categories I to IV), and the rest is mostly managed resources protected area (IUCN category VI). Over 80% of the protected area in Australia is publicly owned and managed by the Australian government or state and territory governments. The second largest component of protected areas are the Indigenous Protected Areas
while only 0.3% are privately owned.
Source: UNESCO
in New South Wales, established in 1879.
Protected area
Protected areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognised natural, ecological and/or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international...
s managed by the Australian government, as well as protected areas within each of the six states of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and two self-governing territories (Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory), which are managed by the eight state and territory governments.
Commonwealth and off-shore protected areas in the Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
, the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
, the Christmas Island
Christmas Island
The Territory of Christmas Island is a territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. It is located northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth, south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and ENE of the Cocos Islands....
Territory, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
The Territory of the Cocos Islands, also called Cocos Islands and Keeling Islands, is a territory of Australia, located in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Christmas Island and approximately midway between Australia and Sri Lanka....
Territory, the Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
Territory and the Australian Antarctic Territory
Australian Antarctic Territory
The Australian Antarctic Territory is a part of Antarctica. It was claimed by the United Kingdom and placed under the authority of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1933. It is the largest territory of Antarctica claimed by any nation...
are managed by Parks Australia, a division of the Department of the Environment and Water Resources, with the exception of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park protects a large part of Australia's Great Barrier Reef from damaging activities. Fishing and the removal of artefacts or...
, which is managed by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, a separate body within the department.
Protected areas cover 895,288 km² of Australia's land area, or about 11.5% of the total land area. The Australian Capital Territory has the highest level of protection at nearly 55% of its territory, followed by Tasmania with nearly 40% and South Australia with 25%. Lowest level of protection is in Queensland and the Northern Territory with less than 6%. Of all protected ares, two-thirds are considered strictly protected (IUCN categories I to IV), and the rest is mostly managed resources protected area (IUCN category VI). Over 80% of the protected area in Australia is publicly owned and managed by the Australian government or state and territory governments. The second largest component of protected areas are the Indigenous Protected Areas
Indigenous Protected Areas
An Indigenous Protected Area is a class of protected area formed by agreement with Indigenous Australians, declared by Indigenous Australians, and formally recognised by the Government of Australia as being part of its National Reserve System....
while only 0.3% are privately owned.
World Heritage Listed Areas
- Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (RiversleighBoodjamulla National ParkBoodjamulla National Park, formerly known as Lawn Hill National Park, is a national park in the Gulf Country region of northwestern Queensland, Australia. The park is northwest of Mount Isa or northwest of Brisbane....
/NaracoorteNaracoorte Caves National ParkNaracoorte Caves is a national park near Naracoorte in the Limestone Coast tourism region in the south-east of South Australia . It was officially recognised in 1994 for its extensive fossil record when the site was inscribed on the World Heritage List, along with Riversleigh...
) - Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, formerly Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves
- Fraser Island
- Great Barrier ReefGreat Barrier ReefThe Great Barrier Reef is the world'slargest reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 kilometres over an area of approximately...
- Greater Blue Mountains AreaGreater Blue Mountains AreaThe Greater Blue Mountains Area is a World Heritage Site in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. It was inscribed on the World Heritage List at the 24th Session of the World Heritage Committee, held in Cairns from 27 November to 2 December 2000...
- Heard and McDonald Islands
- Kakadu National ParkKakadu National ParkKakadu National Park is in the Northern Territory of Australia, 171 km southeast of Darwin.Kakadu National Park is located within the Alligator Rivers Region of the Northern Territory of Australia. It covers an area of , extending nearly 200 kilometres from north to south and over 100 kilometres...
- Lord Howe IslandLord Howe IslandLord Howe Island is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, directly east of mainland Port Macquarie, and about from Norfolk Island. The island is about 11 km long and between 2.8 km and 0.6 km wide with an area of...
- Macquarie IslandMacquarie IslandMacquarie Island lies in the southwest corner of the Pacific Ocean, about half-way between New Zealand and Antarctica, at 54°30S, 158°57E. Politically, it has formed part of the Australian state of Tasmania since 1900 and became a Tasmanian State Reserve in 1978. In 1997 it became a world heritage...
- Purnululu National ParkPurnululu National ParkPurnululu National Park is a national park in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It was declared a World Heritage Site in 2003.-Location:...
- Shark BayShark BayShark Bay is a World Heritage listed bay in Western Australia. The term may also refer to:* the locality of Shark Bay, now known as Denham* Shark Bay Marine Park* Shark Bay , a shark exhibit at Sea World, Gold Coast, Australia* Shire of Shark Bay...
- Tasmanian WildernessTasmanian WildernessThe Tasmanian Wilderness is a term that is used for a range of areas in Tasmania, Australia.The World Heritage Areas in South West, Western and Central are the most well known. However, there are also other areas in Tasmania that have the elements of being known as wilderness areas, the Tarkine...
- Uluru-Kata Tjuta National ParkUluru-Kata Tjuta National ParkUluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park is UNESCO World Heritage-listed in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located 1431 kilometres south of Darwin by road and 440 kilometres south-west of Alice Springs along the Stuart and Lasseter Highways...
- Wet Tropics of QueenslandWet Tropics of QueenslandThe Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Site consists of approximately 8,940 km² of Australian wet tropical forests growing along the north-east Queensland portion of the Great Dividing Range, stretching from Townsville to Cooktown, running in close parallel to the Great Barrier Reef...
- Willandra Lakes RegionWillandra Lakes RegionThe Willandra Lakes Region is a World Heritage Site that covers 2,400 square kilometres in south-western New South Wales, Australia.The Region contains important natural and cultural features including exceptional examples of past human civilization including the world's oldest cremation site...
Source: UNESCO
Protected areas managed by the Australian government
The following list shows only the Commonwealth and off-shore protected areas that are managed by the Australian government; a small portion of all the protected areas of Australia. Each state and territory is responsible for the management of the state and territory protected areas under its jurisdiction. This does not include the Commonwealth areas listed below, some of which (e.g. Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park) are inside state and territory boundaries. Most Australian "national" parks are managed by the state and territory governments.National Parks
Australia's first national park - and the second in the world - is Royal National ParkRoyal National Park
Royal National Park is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, 29 km south of Sydney CBD.Founded by Sir John Robertson, Acting Premier of New South Wales, and formally proclaimed on 26 April 1879, it is the world's second oldest purposed national park, the first usage of the term...
in New South Wales, established in 1879.
- Booderee
- Christmas IslandChristmas Island National ParkChristmas Island National Park is a national park occupying most of Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean southwest of Indonesia. The park is home to many species of animal and plant life, including the eponymous red crab, whose annual migration sees around 100 million...
- KakaduKakadu National ParkKakadu National Park is in the Northern Territory of Australia, 171 km southeast of Darwin.Kakadu National Park is located within the Alligator Rivers Region of the Northern Territory of Australia. It covers an area of , extending nearly 200 kilometres from north to south and over 100 kilometres...
- Norfolk IslandNorfolk Island National ParkNorfolk Island National Park is a protected area of 6.50 km² established in 1984 and managed by the Commonwealth of Australia. It comprises two sections, the Mount Pitt section on Norfolk Island in the South Pacific Ocean with an area of 4.60 km² and the neighbouring 1.90 km² Phillip Island, as...
- Pulu Keeling National ParkNorth KeelingNorth Keeling is a small, uninhabited coral atoll of about 1.2 km2, about 25 km north of Horsburgh Island. It is the northernmost atoll and island of the Australian territory of the Cocos Islands...
- Uluru-Kata TjutaUluru-Kata Tjuta National ParkUluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park is UNESCO World Heritage-listed in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located 1431 kilometres south of Darwin by road and 440 kilometres south-west of Alice Springs along the Stuart and Lasseter Highways...
Botanical Gardens
- Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden
- Australian NationalAustralian National Botanic GardensThe Australian National Botanic Gardens are located in Canberra and are administered by the Australian Government's Department of the Environment and Heritage....
- BoodereeBooderee National Park and Botanic GardensBooderee National Park and Botanic Gardens are located in the Jervis Bay Territory of Australia. The reserve is composed of two sections:* the Bherwerre Peninsula, on the southern foreshore of Jervis Bay, Bowen Island and the waters of the south of the bay...
- Norfolk IslandNorfolk Island National ParkNorfolk Island National Park is a protected area of 6.50 km² established in 1984 and managed by the Commonwealth of Australia. It comprises two sections, the Mount Pitt section on Norfolk Island in the South Pacific Ocean with an area of 4.60 km² and the neighbouring 1.90 km² Phillip Island, as...
- Royal Botanic Gardens, MelbourneRoyal Botanic Gardens, MelbourneThe Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne are internationally renowned botanical gardens located near the centre of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, on the south bank of the Yarra River. They are 38 hectares of landscaped gardens consisting of a mix of native and non-native vegetation including over...
Specially Protected Areas (part of the Antarctic Treaty Areas)
- No. 1
- No. 2
- No. 3
- Heard and McDonald Islands
Special Scientific Interest Sites (part of the Antarctic Treaty Areas)
- No. 7
- No. 16
- No. 17
- No. 25
Federal
The Australian Government manages an estate of marine protected areas (MPA) that are Commonwealth reserves under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).- Australian Whale SanctuaryAustralian Whale SanctuaryThe Australian Whale Sanctuary was established in 1999 to protect dolphins and whales from hunting. The non-contiguous zone includes the Australia's Exclusive Economic Zone , which is the area surrounding the continent of Australia and its external dependencies such as Christmas Island , Cocos ...
Marine Parks
- Great Australian BightGreat Australian Bight Marine ParkGreat Australian Bight is a marine national park in South Australia and in Western Australia, 918 km west of Adelaide.The area extends from West of Ceduna to the Western Australian border an additional area of a wide strip that extends to off-shore, forming a large T shape.The total area of the...
- Great Barrier ReefGreat Barrier Reef Marine ParkThe Great Barrier Reef Marine Park protects a large part of Australia's Great Barrier Reef from damaging activities. Fishing and the removal of artefacts or...
- Lord Howe IslandLord Howe Island Marine ParkLord Howe Island Marine Park consists of the waters 3 nautical miles off Lord Howe Island, Balls Pyramid and a New South Wales state marine park. The waters 3 to 12 nautical miles from Lord Howe Island and Balls Pyramid were declared a federal marine park on 21 June 2000, see Lord Howe Island...
- Ningaloo
- Rowley Shoals
- Shark BayShark Bay Marine ParkShark Bay Marine Park is located at Shark Bay World Heritage Site, Western Australia, over north of Perth. It is the site of the world's largest seagrass meadows, with a total of twelve species of seagrass in the park....
- Solitary Islands
Marine National Nature Reserves
- Ashmore Reef
- Cod Grounds Commonwealth Marine Reserve
- Coringa-Herald (Coral Sea and Island territory)
- Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs (Coral Sea and Island territory)
- Heard Island and McDonald Islands Marine Reserve
- Lihou Reef (Coral Sea and Island territory)
- Mermaid Reef
- South-east Commonwealth Marine Reserve Network
Marine Reserves
- Cartier Island
- Tasmanian SeamountsTasmanian Seamounts Marine ReserveThe Huon Commonwealth Marine Reserve is a Marine Protected Area of the coast of Hobart in Tasmania, Australia. The reserve encompasses approximately 70 seamounts in a compact area. They are situated on depths between 1000 and 2000 metres and the highest ones reach to 660 metres below the surface of...
NSW
These are referred aquatic reserves declared under the Fisheries Management Act 1994- Cook Island (Tweed Heads)
- Barrenjoey Head (Hawkesbury River)
- Narrabeen Head
- Long Reef
- Cabbage Tree Bay (Manly)
- North (Sydney) Harbour
- Bronte-Coogee
- Cape Banks (La Perouse)
- Boat Harbour (Kurnell)
- Towra Point (Botany Bay)
- Shiprock (Port Hacking)
- Bushrangers Bay (Shell Harbour)
Historic Shipwrecks
- AarhusAarhus Historic ShipwreckIn Australia, Aarhus Historic Shipwreck is a historical site preserving one of the victims of Smith's Rock. The Aarhus was a 640-tonne sailing barque built in 1875 in Hamburg, Germany...
- BooyaBooya (ship)Booya was a three-masted schooner with a steel hull built in the Netherlands in 1917. She was originally named De Lauwers. Booya was last seen anchored off Fort Hill wharf in Darwin Harbour at about 8.00pm on 24 December 1974, the evening Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin...
- CatoCato (ship)The Cato was a ship of 430 tons constructed at Stockton in England and registered in London to Reeve & Green. It was wrecked on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, in 1804....
- Clonmel
- SMS Emden
- Foam
- SS GothenburgSS GothenburgThe SS Gothenburg was a steamship that operated along the British and then later the Australian and New Zealand coastlines. In February 1875, she left Darwin, Australia en route to Adelaide when she encountered a cyclone-strength storm off the north Queensland coast. The ship was wrecked on the...
- Submarine I-24Japanese submarine I-24I-24 was a submarine of the Imperial Japanese Navy which saw service during the Pacific Campaign of World War II. I-24 was commissioned at Sasebo, Japan on October 31, 1941...
- Lady Darling
- Llewellyn
- SS Dunkenfeld
- SS YongalaSS YongalaThe passenger ship SS Yongala sank off Cape Bowling Green, Queensland, Australia on 23 March 1911. En route from Melbourne to Cairns she steamed into a cyclone and sank south of Townsville...
- VOC ZuytdorpZuytdorpThe VOC Zuytdorp also Zuiddorp was a trading ship of the Dutch East India Company in the 18th century. On 1 August 1711 it was dispatched from the Netherlands to the trading port of Batavia bearing a load of freshly minted silver coins.Many trading ships of the time had started to use a "fast...
- Loch VennacharLoch VennacharLoch Vennachar was a three-masted iron sailing ship that operated between Great Britain and Australia between the late 19th century and 1905. The name was drawn from Loch Venachar, a lake which lies to the south-west of the burgh of Callander, in the Stirling region of Scotland...
See also
- Australia's National Reserve SystemAustralia's National Reserve SystemAustralia's National Reserve System is a network of more than 9000 Commonwealth plus state and territory protected areas which, in combination, on a national scale, are hoped to enable more than 89 million hectares unique biodiversity and most significant ecological landscapes to be protected and...
- Protected areaProtected areaProtected areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognised natural, ecological and/or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international...
- Indigenous Protected AreasIndigenous Protected AreasAn Indigenous Protected Area is a class of protected area formed by agreement with Indigenous Australians, declared by Indigenous Australians, and formally recognised by the Government of Australia as being part of its National Reserve System....
- Protected areas of the Australian Capital TerritoryProtected areas of the Australian Capital TerritoryThe Australian Capital Territory contains 8 separate protected areas with a total land area of 1,230 km² . They are managed on territory level by Environment ACT.-Nature Reserves:*Bullen Range Nature Reserve*Canberra Nature Park...
- Protected areas of New South WalesProtected areas of New South WalesThe Protected areas of New South Wales include both terrestrial and aquatic protected areas. At 30 June 2010 there were 776 separate terrestrial protected areas with a total land area of . 189 of these are national parks, totalling...
- Protected areas of the Northern TerritoryProtected areas of the Northern TerritoryThe Northern Territory contains 95 separate Protected Areas with a total area of 53,505 km² . Ten of these are National parks, totalling 19,622 km² . Four are Aboriginal National Parks, totalling 5,315 km²...
- Protected areas of QueenslandProtected areas of QueenslandQueensland is the second largest state in Australia. It contains 470 separate Protected Areas with a total land area of 69,388 km² . 223 of these are National parks, which is the highest number of any Australian state or territory, totalling 65,871 km²...
- Protected areas of South AustraliaProtected areas of South AustraliaSouth Australia contains 324 separate Protected Areas with a total land area of 216,310 km² . Eighteen of these areas are National parks, totalling 43,374 km² .-Conservation Parks:...
- Protected areas of TasmaniaProtected areas of Tasmania-Conservation areas:*Adamsfield*Alpha Pinnacle*Ansons Bay*Arthur-Pieman*Asbestos Range*Badger Corner*Bay Of Fires*Bernafai Ridge*Boltons Beach*Bouchers Creek*Briggs Islet*Brougham Sugerloaf*Burnie Fernglade*Calverts Lagoon*Cape Portland*Cat Island...
- Protected areas of Victoria
- Protected areas of Western AustraliaProtected areas of Western AustraliaWestern Australia is the second largest subnational entity in the world. It contains no fewer than 1224 separate Protected Areas with a total area of 170,610 km²...
- List of National parks of Western AustraliaNational Parks of Western Australia-B:* Badgingarra National Park* Beedelup National Park* Beelu National Park * Boorabbin National Park* Brockman National Park-K:* Kalbarri National Park* Karijini National Park...
- Wild Rivers
External links
- Department of the Environment and Water Resources (Australia)
- Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
- NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
- Parks Victoria