SA Government announces proposal for the Nuyts Archipelago and the Investigator Group of Islands to become Wilderness Protection Areas.

SA Environment Minister Jay Weatherill (making announcement), flanked by Mark Parnell (Australian Greens SA) and Michelle Lensink (Opposition Environment) at the TWSSA Celebration for the Environmental Question and Answer Panel on Friday 30 October.

In Environment Minister Jay Weatherill’s words…

Spreading south across the remote waters of South Australia’s western coastline are the Nuyts Archipelago and the Investigator Group of Islands.

Generations of isolation mean that these islands have not suffered from the damage that can occur from the introduction of predators and other species.

They are home to some of South Australia’s most endangered species – the Australian Sea Lion, Pearson Island Black Footed Rock Wallaby, White Bellied Sea Eagle and Osprey.

Wilderness protection for these areas will help to protect our native species from continuing threats – altered landscapes, growing resource use and climate change.

It is also an opportunity for us to create better links between land and sea...

There is now a 3 month public consultation period during which we need you to send in a submission in support of the proposal. Submissions are due by 5 February 2010, the proposal can be found at:
http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/pdfs/nuyts-wilderness-assess-report.pdf

Send submissions to:

Manager, Policy and Planning
Department for Environment and Heritage
GPO Box 1047
Adelaide South Australia 5001
Or email: jason.irving@sa.gov.au

Background

South Australia’s West Coast is a truly remarkable place. Rugged and windswept, it contains many spectacular offshore island groups.

The giant granite inselbergs (island mountains) of the Investigator Group rise over 200 metres out of the water on Pearson Island, home to Australian Sea Lions, Dolphins, Seadragons, and beautiful sponge and soft coral gardens. Granite boulder reefs form large caverns, harbouring prolific fish and invertebrate species.

To the east of Pearson Island is Topgallant Island, recognised for having hundreds of caves and a vast array of fish species, including the Western Blue Groper, Western Blue Devil and Harlequin Fish – all of which are under serious threat.

The Investigator Group (Pearson, Ward, Topgallant, Flinders and the Waldegrave Islands) is also home to many migratory and coastal marine bird species of conservation concern.

Further west, the Nuyts and St Francis Isles are heavily influenced by seasonal warm water from the Great Australian Bight. This creates an extremely diverse marine environment, many species of which are of Western Australian origin. The presence of migratory turtles is truly special!

History in the making

Pearson Island - one of the 21 islands on South Australia's Far West Coast to become a Wilderness Protection Area Photo: Eric Bills.

In the late 1990s, a coalition of South Australian conservation groups nominated the Nuyts Archipelago and the Investigator Group of Islands to be declared Wilderness Protection Areas.

The nomination remained dormant for nearly a decade until two days before the last state election in 2006

Amidst significant media discussion about the impact of aquaculture developments being approved next to Australian Sea Lion breeding colonies in the Investigator Islands, the Government made a commitment to the Wilderness Society SA to fast track the nomination and carry out an urgent wilderness assessment

Being the first marine wilderness assessment in the states history, considerable work was undertaken by the Wilderness Assessment Committee to develop a methodology throughout 2007. The Committee later advised that the Islands and surrounding waters were of high wilderness value.

With the Marine Parks legislation having recently passed through the SA Parliament and the Marine Park outer boundaries having just been declared (which include all the Island areas) it is proposed that the islands be protected under the Wilderness Protection Act and the surrounding waters under the Marine Parks Act.