Coral Sea Reserves Ramsar Site

Coral Sea Reserves Ramsar Site
The Coringa Islets and the Magdelaine and Herald Cays, as well as those of Lihou Reef, lie within the Coral Sea Reserves Ramsar Site

The Coral Sea Reserves Ramsar Site comprises the 17,292 km2 of oceanic island and reef habitats within the Coringa-Herald National Nature Reserve and the Lihou Reef National Nature Reserve in the Australian Coral Sea Islands Territory.

Contents

History

The existence of the islands and cays within the two reserves has been known to navigators since the early nineteenth century. Lihou Reef was named after Captain John Lihou of HMS Zenobia, who discovered the reef and its cays in 1823. The Coringa Islets were named after the cargo ship Coringa Packet, which foundered off Chilcott Islet in 1845. The Herald Cays were named after HMS Herald, which conducted hydrographic surveys in the Coral Sea, under the captaincy of Henry Mangles Denham, from 1849 to 1861.[1]

During the 1960s many of the islands and reefs in the Territory were visited by scientific survey parties. Following an assessment of the conservation status of the islands and reefs, and recommendations for the total protection of a sample of islands in the Coral Sea, eventually the two reserves were proclaimed on 16 August 1982. Since then many further surveys have been conducted, including a multi-disciplinary scientific expedition by the Royal Geographic Society of Queensland which visited the Herald Cays and their surrounding reef in 1997.[1]

The site was designated as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. It was listed on 21 October 2002 as Ramsar Site 1222.[2]

Description

The site is centred on the Coral Sea Plateau, about 440 km east of Cairns, Queensland, and east of the Great Barrier Reef, from which it is separated by an area of deep water known as the Queensland Trough. Lihou Reef NNR lies to the south-east of the Coringa-Herald NNR and is separated from it by about 100 km of open sea.[1]

The key conservation values of the site, as listed in the reserves’ management plan are the:[1]

  • near pristine marine ecosystems that have been protected from human-induced impacts, including marine pollution, by their isolation from the mainland;
  • regionally representative examples of rich, shelf-edge oceanic reef;
  • internationally significant populations of breeding seabirds, including migratory species listed under international agreements;
  • undisturbed and important habitat for nesting green turtles, Chelonia mydas;
  • Pisonia grandis forest ecosystem, which is relatively uncommon within Australia and has been subject to widespread destruction and disturbance throughout most of its Indo-Pacific distribution;
  • diversity and abundance of marine sponges, which in places form spectacular sponge gardens; and
  • fish and decapod crustacean fauna that is distinct from that of the Great Barrier Reef.

Flora and fauna

Several of the site’s 24 islets provide undisturbed sandy beach habitat for nesting Green Turtles, as well as forest and shrubland supporting breeding populations of terns and other seabirds. Its coral reefs support a distinct community of marine benthic plants and animals, a diverse decapod crustacean and hydroid fauna, and feeding habitat for migratory shorebirds and seabirds. Seaweed communities are also important.[2] There are no known native terrestrial mammals within the Reserves; introduced Black Rats were present on South West Coringa Islet for many years, but were eliminated by 1991 after an eradication program.[1]

Birds

The only breeding landbirds in the site are the Purple Swamphen and Buff-banded Rail. Among the 14 species of seabird recorded as breeding in the site are the Lesser Frigatebird, Great Frigatebird, Red-footed Booby, Brown Booby, Masked Booby, Black Noddy and Red-tailed Tropicbird.[1]

Access and usage

The large number of shipwrecks within the area give it marine archaeological significance. There is no resident human population; the site is used principally for nature conservation and scientific research. The reserves are internationally renowned for diving, snorkeling and bird watching. Access by commercial tour groups is regulated and limited, though there is some visitation by private yachts.[2]

References

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f Anon (2001).
  2. ^ a b c Annotated Ramsar List.

Sources

Coordinates: 17°04′S 150°39′E / 17.067°S 150.65°E / -17.067; 150.65


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Coral Sea Islands — Map of the Coral Sea Islands Map of the Coral Sea Islands Territo …   Wikipedia

  • Coringa-Herald National Nature Reserve — The IBA supports over 3000 breeding pairs of Red footed Boobies Coringa Herald National Nature Reserve is a nature reserve in Australia’s Coral Sea Islands Territory, and an Important Bird Area (IBA). Together with the Lihou Reef National Nature… …   Wikipedia

  • Lihou Reef National Nature Reserve — Lagekarte, in der sich das Schutzgebiet befindet Lihou Reef National Nature Reserve ist ein 8.440 km² großes Meeresschutzgebiet in Australien im Korallenmeer. Es liegt vor der Ostküste Australiens etwa 700 km von Cairns in Queensland entfernt.… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Coringa-Herald National Nature Reserve — Nach Berichten der Important Bird Area brüten 3000 Rotfußtölpel in diesem Schutzgebiet Das Coringa Herald National Nature Reserve ist ein Meeresschutzgebiet, das im Korallenmeer liegt, etwa 400 km östlich von Cairns in Queensland, Australien. Es… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Caspian Sea — As captured by …   Wikipedia

  • Mediterranean Sea — Mediterranean redirects here. For other uses, see Mediterranean (disambiguation). Mediterranean sea redirects here. For the oceanographical term, see Mediterranean sea (oceanography). Mediterranean Sea Composite satellite ima …   Wikipedia

  • Marine protected area — Milford Sound, New Zealand is a Strict Marine Reserve (Category Ia) Mitre Peak, the mountain at left, rises 1,692 m (5,551 ft) above the sea.[1] Marine protected areas, like any protected area, are regions in which human activity has… …   Wikipedia

  • Spawn (biology) — The spawn (eggs) of a clownfish. The black spots are the eyes developing. Spawn refers to the eggs and sperm released or deposited, usually into water, by aquatic animals. As a verb, spawn refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm,… …   Wikipedia

  • Flora and fauna of the Outer Hebrides — The Hebrides (Outer Hebrides in orange) The flora and fauna of the Outer Hebrides in north west Scotland comprises a unique and diverse ecosystem. A long archipelago, set on the eastern shores of the Atlantic Ocean, it attracts a wide variety of… …   Wikipedia

  • Country parks and conservation in Hong Kong — Although Hong Kong is regarded as one of the world s great cities, out of the total 1,092 km² of land, about three quarters is countryside. Scenically, Hong Kong has a great deal to offer a landscape rising from sandy beaches and rocky foreshores …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”