- Marion Downs Sanctuary
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Marion Downs Sanctuary, a former cattle station, is a 2890 km² nature reserve in the Kimberley region of north-west Western Australia. It is owned and managed by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC), by which it was purchased in 2008 with funds from private donors and a A$1.8 m grant from the Australian Government. It lies in the Central Kimberley Bioregion and adjoins Mornington Sanctuary, already owned by the AWC. The two sanctuaries combined will form a 6400 km² protected area extending over 100 km from north to south, and will be one of the world’s largest privately-owned reserves.[1]
Contents
Landscape and climate
The landscape of the reserve is similar to that of Mornington, a mix of tropical savanna woodlands and grasslands, with rugged sandstone escarpments and deep river gorges in the catchment of the Fitzroy River. The climate is tropical and monsoonal with distinct wet (November-April) and dry (May-October) seasons.
Wildlife
Threatened bird species recorded from Mornington including the Gouldian Finch, Purple-crowned Fairywren and Australian Bustard. Threatened mammals include the Northern Quoll, Rock Ringtail Possum and Antilopine Wallaroo. The Freshwater Crocodile is present.[1][2]
References
External links
Categories:- Protected areas of Western Australia
- Australian Wildlife Conservancy reserves
- Western Australia geography stubs
- Australian protected area stubs
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