Neptune Islands Conservation Park

This article is about the protected area. For the main article, see Neptune Islands

Neptune Islands Conservation Park South Australia
IUCN category Ia (strict nature reserve)
Neptune Islands Conservation Park
Nearest town or city	Port Lincoln^[1]
Coordinates	35°16′51″S 136°05′38″E / 35.28083°S 136.09389°E / -35.28083; 136.09389Coordinates: 35°16′51″S 136°05′38″E / 35.28083°S 136.09389°E / -35.28083; 136.09389
Established	1967^[1]
Area	145.7 km² (56.3 sq mi)^[1]
Managing authorities	Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources
See also	Protected areas of South Australia

Neptune Islands Conservation Park is a protected area occupying most of the Neptune Islands in South Australia about 55 km (34 mi) south-south east of Port Lincoln. It was established in 1967 principally to protect a New Zealand fur seal breeding colony. The conservation park was subsequently expanded to include the adjoining waters in order to control and manage berleying activities used to attract great white sharks. As of 2002, the conservation park is the only place in Australia where shark cage diving to view great white sharks is legally permitted.

Description

The conservation park includes all the islands within the group with the exception of all or part of the southernmost island (known as Lighthouse Island) in the South Neptune Islands where land has been reserved for ongoing use by a lighthouse and the waters within 2 nautical miles (4 km) of the mean low water mark of both groups of islands.^[2]^[3] The conservation park is classified as an IUCN Category Ia protected area.^[4]

History

The conservation park was proclaimed on 16 March 1967 mainly to conserve the New Zealand fur seal breeding colony on the southern island of the North Neptune Islands which is reported as being one of the largest in Australia. Other features that contributed to the declaration include the small breeding population of Australian sea lions on the North Neptune Islands, Australian sea lion haul out areas on the South Neptune Islands and the breeding/nesting populations of Cape Barren goose, white-bellied sea eagle, osprey and peregrine falcon.^[1]^[2]

The conservation park was subsequently extended to include the waters within 2 nautical miles (4 km) of the shoreline of both the North and South Neptune Islands via a declaration under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 (SA), to regulate and manage great white shark berleying activities around both groups of islands.^[2]

1n 1990, most of Lighthouse Island was reportedly added to the conservation park after the conversion of the lighthouse to automatic operation with the exception of some land around the lighthouse and an associated helicopter landing site.^[5]

On 29 November 2012, the waters within 2 nautical miles (4 km) of the coastline of both the North and South Neptune Islands at median high water also became part of a protected area known as the Neptune Islands Group (Ron and Valerie Taylor) Marine Park.^[6]^[7] The marine park entity provides a level of regulation additional to that of the conservation park in respect to the use of the waters adjoining both groups of islands.^[8]

Visitor services

Since 2002, the conservation park is the only venue in Australia where the use of shark cage diving to view great white sharks is legally permitted.^[9] Access for shark cage diving is via three operators licensed by the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources.^[10]

Gallery

Fauna intended to be protected by the declaration of the conservation park in 1967.

New Zealand fur seal
Australian sea lion
Cape Barren goose
White-bellied sea eagle
Osprey
Peregrine falcon

References

1 2 3 4 "Protected Areas Information System - reserve list (as of 17 Feb 2014)" (PDF). Department of Environment Water and Natural Resources. p. 5. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
1 2 3 Baker, J.L (2004). Towards a System of Ecologically Representative Marine Protected Areas in South Australian Marine Bioregions - Technical Report. Part 4 (PDF). Department for Environment and Heritage, South Australia. p. 456.
↑ "National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972" (PDF). Government of South Australia. p. 87 of 159. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
↑ "CAPAD 2012 South Australia Summary (see 'DETAIL' tab)". CAPAD 2012. Australian Government - Department of the Environment. 6 February 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
↑ Robinson, A. C.; Canty, P.; Mooney, T.; Rudduck, P. (1996). "South Australia's offshore islands" (PDF). Australian Heritage Commission. pp. 131–132. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
↑ "Neptune Islands Group Ron and Valerie Taylor Marine Park Management plan summary" (PDF). Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
↑ "South Australian Marine Parks take effect today" (PDF). South Australian Government. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
↑ "NEPTUNE ISLANDS GROUP (Ron and Valerie Taylor) MARINE PARK MANAGEMENT PLAN 2012" (PDF). Department of Environment Water and Natural Resources. pp. 5 & 11. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
↑ Huveneers, C.; Rogers, P.J.; Semmens, J.; Beckmann, C.; Kock, A.A.; Page, B.; Goldsworthy, S.D (2012). Effects of the Shark Shield™ electric deterrent on the behaviour of white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias). Final Report to SafeWork South Australia. (PDF). Adelaide: South Australian Research and Development Institute (Aquatic Sciences),. p. 15.
↑ "Shark cage diving". Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 22 March 2014.

External links

Protected areas of South Australia

National parks	Belair Canunda Coffin Bay Coorong Flinders Chase Ikara-Flinders Ranges Gawler Ranges Great Australian Bight Marine Innes Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre Lake Gairdner Lake Torrens Lincoln Malkumba-Coongie Mount Remarkable Murray River Naracoorte Caves Nullarbor Onkaparinga River Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges Witjira

Conservation parks	Acraman Creek Aldinga Scrub Althorpe Islands Angove Avoid Bay Islands Baird Bay Islands Bakara Baudin Baudin Rocks Beachport Beatrice Islet Beyeria Busby Islet Billiatt Bird Islands Black Hill Breakaways Butchers Gap Cap Island Cape Blanche Cape Gantheaume Cape Willoughby Carpenter Rocks Carribie Chadinga Cleland Clinton Cooltong Cox Scrub Cygnet Estuary Danggali Deep Creek Douglas Point Dudley Eba Island Ediacara Elliot Price Eric Bonython Ewens Ponds Fairview Ferguson Finniss Fort Glanville Fowlers Bay Franklin Harbor Gambier Islands Giles Goose Island Greenly Island Guichen Bay Gum Laqoon Kelly Hill Hacks Lagoon Hale Hallett Cove Hincks Horsnell Gully Ironstone Hill Kaiserstuhl Kellidie Bay Lake Gilles Lake Newland Lashmar Lathami Laura Bay Lesueur Leven Beach Lincoln Lipson Island Little Dip Mamungari Mantung Marino Martindale Hall Minlacowie Moana Sands Montacute Morialta Mount Brown Mount Dutton Bay Mount Magnificent Mount Taylor Munyaroo Nene Valley Nepean Bay Neptune Islands Newland Head Nicolas Baudin Island Ngarkat Nuyts Archipelago Nuyts Reef Olive Island Para Wirra Paranki Lagoon Parndana Peebinga Penguin Island Pelican Lagoon Pigface Island Point Bell Point Davenport Point Labatt Piccaninnie Ponds Pinkawillinie Port Gawler Pualco Range Pullen Island Rocky Island (North) Ramsay Rocky Island (South) Salt Lagoon Islands Sceale Bay Scott Creek Seal Bay Searcy Bay Seddon Simpson Simpson Desert Sinclair Island Sir Joseph Banks Group Sleaford Mere Spring Gully Talisker Tallaringa Telowie Gorge The Dutchmans Stern The Pages Torrens Island Troubridge Island Tumby Island Venus Bay Vivonne Bay Wabma Kadarbu Mound Springs Wahgunyah Waitpinga Waldegrave Islands Warrenben West Island Whidbey Isles Whyalla Wills Creek Winninowie Wittelbee Yumbarra

Game reserves	Bool Lagoon Bucks Lake Chowilla Currency Creek Lake Robe Loch Luna Moorook Mud Islands Poocher Swamp Tolderol

Recreation parks	Anstey Hill Blackwood Forest Brownhill Creek Caratoola Cobbler Creek Granite Island Greenhill Long Island O'Halloran Hill Onkaparinga River Shepherds Hill Sturt Gorge Totness

Regional Reserves	Chowilla Innamincka Lake Frome Nullarbor Simpson Desert Strzelecki Yellabinna

Conservation reserves	Bernouilli

Wilderness Protection Areas	Billiatt Cape Bouguer Cape Gantheaume Cape Torrens Danggali Hambridge Hincks Investigator Group Memory Cove Nullarbor Nuyts Archipelago Ravine des Casoars Western River Yellabinna

Aquatic reserves	American River Aldinga Reef Bales Beach Barker Inlet Blanche Harbour Coobowie Cowleds Landing Goose Island Great Australian Bight Marine Park Whale Sanctuary Point Labatt Port Noarlunga Reef Seal Bay St Kilda – Chapman Creek Troubridge Hill West Island Yatala Harbour

Other protected areas	Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary Arkaroola Protection Area

Eyre Peninsula, South Australia

Cities

Townships

Governance

Federal division	Grey

State electoral districts	Flinders Giles Stuart

Local Government	Ceduna DC Cleve DC Elliston DC Franklin Harbour DC Kimba DC Lower Eyre Peninsula DC City of Port Augusta City of Port Lincoln Streaky Bay DC Tumby Bay DC City of Whyalla Wudinna DC

Protected areas

Coastal features

West coast	Anxious Bay Calca Peninsula Cape Blanche Cape Carnot Cape Catastrophe Cape Finniss Cape Radstock Cape Wiles Coffin Bay Peninsula Jussieu Peninsula Point Avoid Point Labatt Point Weyland Point Whidbey Slade Point

East coast	Cape Burr Cape Donington Cape Hardy Lipson Cove Memory Cove Point Lowly Yorkey Crossing

Islands adjoining Eyre Peninsula coast

West coast	Avoid Bay Islands Baird Bay Jones Island Unnamed island, Baird Bay Cap Island Eba Island Germein Island Grantham Island Greenly Island Investigator Group Flinders Island Waldegrave Islands Ward Islands Liguanea Island Neptune Islands Nicolas Baudin Island Nuyts Archipelago Smooth Island Olive Island Pigface Island Whidbey Isles Williams Island

East coast	Bicker Isles Boston Island Curlew Island Entrance Island Hopkins Island Lewis Island Lipson Island Little Island Louth Island Owen Island Sir Joseph Banks Group Sleaford Islands Smith Island Taylor Island Thistle Island Tumby Island

Related and uncategorised

The Peninsulas zone (wine)

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