Western River Wilderness Protection Area

Western River Wilderness Protection Area
South Australia
Western River Wilderness Protection Area
Nearest town or city Parndana
Coordinates 35°42′00″S 136°54′30″E / 35.70000°S 136.90833°E / -35.70000; 136.90833Coordinates: 35°42′00″S 136°54′30″E / 35.70000°S 136.90833°E / -35.70000; 136.90833
Established 1 October 1993[1]
Area 2,467 hectares (6,100 acres)[2]
Managing authorities Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources
See also Protected areas of South Australia

Western River Wilderness Protection Area, formerly the Western River Conservation Park, is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located on the north coast of Kangaroo Island about 30 kilometres (19 mi) west of Parndana in the gazetted locality of Western River. It was originally proclaimed at a conservation park on 27 April 1972 to conserve a broad cross-section of vegetation from the main plateau area of the island to its coastal slopes and cliffs and the majority of its extent was proclaimed as a wilderness protection area on 1 October 1993 and with the remainder being added on the 5 October 2006.[2][1][3]

Description

The wilderness protection area has an area of 2,467 ha (6,100 acres). The topography is rugged, with numerous steep slopes and deep gullies. The vegetation consists mainly of open forest, woodland and scrub associations dominated by Eucalyptus cladocalyx, E. baxteri, E. diversifolia and E. cosmophylla. There are also areas of Allocasuarina muelleriana open heath and A. verticillata low open forest. It contains nesting and feeding habitat for Glossy Black Cockatoos. Scenic features include the coastal cliffs and the waterfall on Waterfall Creek.[4][5]

The wilderness protection area is classified as an IUCN Category Ib protected area.[6]

Wilderness qualities

The following qualities have been identified by the government agency managing the wilderness protection area:[1]

While there are some relatively minor impacts of modern technology, the area has distinctive wilderness attributes and warrants protection and restoration in accordance with the provisions of the Act. In addition to its rugged terrain and high coastal cliffs that are characteristic of the northern coast of Kangaroo Island, Western River Wilderness Protection Area is highly valued for the presence of habitat for the endangered Glossy Black-cockatoo. Plant species diversity is high and the vegetation exhibits a wide cross-section of Kangaroo Island vegetation.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Wilderness Advisory Committee Annual Report 2012-13" (PDF). September 2013: 19. ISSN 1832-9357. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Protected Areas Information System - reserve list (as of 17 Feb 2014)" (PDF). Department of Environment Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  3. ↑ "Search result for "Western River Wilderness Protection Area" (Record no SA0020593 with the following layers selected - "Suburbs and Localities", "Place names (gazetteer)" and "Development Plan Layers"". Property Location Browser. Government of South Australia. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  4. ↑ Anon (1987). Conservation Parks of Kangaroo Island Management Plan (PDF). Adelaide: Department of Environment and Planning, South Australia. ISBN 0-7243-8983-0.
  5. ↑ "Western River Conservation Park". Australian Heritage Database. Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, Australia. Retrieved 2012-09-26.
  6. ↑ "CAPAD 2012 South Australia Summary (see 'DETAIL' tab)". CAPAD 2012. Australian Government - Department of the Environment. 6 February 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2014.


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