Protected areas of South Australia

Jurisdiction

The jurisdiction for legislation of protected areas within South Australia and the immediate onshore waters known officially as ‘the coastal waters and waters within the limits of South Australia' belongs to the South Australian government. The major piece of legislation concerned with the creation and the subsequent management of protected areas is the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972. Protected areas created by this Act form the majority of South Australia’s contribution to the National Reserve System.

Other state legislation that may create protected areas include the following: Forestry Act 1950, Wilderness Protection Act 1992, Historic Shipwrecks Act 1981, River Murray Act 2003, Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary Act 2005, Fisheries Management Act 2007, Marine Parks Act 2007, Crown Land Management Act 2009, Arkaroola Protection Act 2012 and Native Vegetation Act 1991.

While the Australian Government does not have the power under the Australian constitution to legislate for protected areas within South Australia, its treaty obligations and its constitutional responsibilities do permit it to develop policy for protected areas and to enter into agreements concerning protected areas. Examples include nomination of sites under the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (also known as the Ramsar Convention) and establishment of agreements for Indigenous Protected Areas.

National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972

The National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 (also known as the ‘National Parks Act’) is the principal legislation in South Australia in respect to the establishment and management of protected areas. The act uses the term ‘reserve’ in lieu of the term ‘protected area’ while the agency which administers the act generally uses the term 'park'. It is concerned with the establishment and management of reserves, establishment of sanctuaries, conservation of native plants and animals, declaration of protected animals, the management of protected animals in respect to taking, keeping, farming and harvesting, and the control of hunting.

The act is administered by the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR). As of February 2014, reserves declared under this act totalled 320 with a total area of 19,226,432 ha (47,509,550 acres) or 19.6% of South Australia’s area.

The following types of reserves are listed within the Act: national parks, conservation parks, game reserves, recreation parks and regional reserves.

National Parks

National parks are 'areas considered to be of national significance due to wildlife, natural features of the land, or Aboriginal or European heritage'. As of July 2016, the following national parks have been declared:

Conservation Parks

Conservation parks are 'areas protected for the purpose of conserving wildlife or the natural or historic features of the land'. As of July 2016, the following conservation parks have been declared:

Game Reserves

Game reserves are 'areas set aside for conservation of wildlife and the management of game for seasonal hunting.' As of July 2016, the following game reserves have been declared:

Recreation Parks

Recreation parks are 'areas managed for public recreation and enjoyment in a natural setting.' As of July 2016, the following recreation parks have been declared:

Regional Reserves

Regional reserves are 'areas proclaimed for the purpose of conserving wildlife or natural or historical features while allowing responsible use of the area's natural resources.' As of July 2016, the following regional reserves have been declared:

Conservation Reserves

Conservation reserves are a parcels of 'land set aside for conservation of natural and cultural features under the Crown Land Management Act 2009.' As of July 2016, the following conservation reserves have been declared:

As of June 2015, reserves declared under the Crown Land Management Act 2009 totalled 15 with a total area of 19,471 ha (48,110 acres) or less than 0.1% of South Australia’s area.

Native Forest Reserves

The Forestry Act 1950 allows for the declaration of forest reserves for ‘purposes relating to the conservation, development and management of land supporting native flora and fauna…’ Native forest reserves are administered by the South Australian Forestry Corporation (trading as ForestrySA) which is a wholly owned state government business. As of March 2014, the following native forest reserves which are located in the Southern Flinders Ranges, the Mount Lofty Ranges and the Limestone Coast have been declared:

Wilderness Protection Areas

The Wilderness Protection Act 1992 was established in 1992 to provide for ‘the protection of wilderness and the restoration of land to its condition before European colonisation’. The day-to-day administration of the act is carried out by DEWNR. As of July 2016, the following areas have been declared:

As of June 2015, reserves declared under the Wilderness Protection Act 1992 totalled 14 with a total area of 1,843,454 ha (4,555,270 acres) or 1.9% of South Australia’s area.

Protected zones for Historic Shipwreck sites

The Historic Shipwrecks Act 1981 which is administered by DEWNR allows for the creation of protected zones over land and water around historic shipwrecks. The following protected zones have been declared:

River Murray protection area

The River Murray Act 2003 which is administered by DEWNR has provision for ‘the protection and enhancement of the River Murray and related areas and ecosystems’.

As of September 2010, the following protection areas have been designated:

Aquatic reserves

The following areas have been declared under the Fisheries Management Act 2007 (SA). Aquatic reserves which are managed by the Department of Primary Industries & Regions (PIRSA), were 'established to protect the habitat, ecosystems and communities of the rich variety of underwater organisms found in the marine and estuarine waters of South Australia'. Aquatic reserves are considered to be IUCN Category II protected areas.

Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary

Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary (ADS) is a sanctuary area intended to protect the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) population residing in the Port Adelaide River estuary and Barker Inlet as well as protecting and enhancing the Port Adelaide River estuary and Barker Inlet. The sanctuary was declared under the Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary Act 2005 and is managed by DEWNR.

Marine parks

Marine parks are areas within the immediate onshore waters of SA set aside under the Marine Parks Act 2007 (SA) 'to preserve the biological diversity of the state's coastal, estuarine and marine environments while allowing ecologically sustainable use of the area's natural resources.' As of December 2013, the following marine parks have been declared:

Arkaroola Protection Area

The Arkaroola Protection Act 2012 which commenced operation on 26 April 2012 was created to ‘establish the Arkaroola Protection Area; to provide for the proper management and care of the area; and to prohibit mining activities in the area’. The protection area which is located 600 km (370 mi) north of Adelaide includes the Arkaroola Pastoral Lease and the Mawson Plateau part of the Mount Freeling Pastoral Lease. The former lease which has not been stocked for over 30 years is operated for the purpose of conservation and tourism under the name, Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary. The protection area is reported as satisfying the definition of a "category II National Park".

Native vegetation heritage agreements

A native vegetation heritage agreements, usually known as a heritage agreement, is a legally binding agreement between a landowner and the Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Conservation where the landowner agrees to protect native vegetation in perpetuity. In return, the Minister may agree to reduce statutory fees such as local government rates or offer assistance in term of funding of works such as fencing or provision of expert advice to ‘protecting and improving the conservation value of the heritage agreement area’. The enabling legislation is the Native Vegetation Act 1991. Land covered by heritage agreements is considered to meet IUCN Category III. As of February 2014, 1537 agreements in respect to 634,242 hectares (1,567,250 acres) of land within SA or 0.64% of the area of SA have been entered into between landowners and the minister. A notable example is the Gluepot Reserve.

World heritage site

As of March 2015, Naracoorte Caves National Park is the sole World Heritage Site located in South Australia. It was co-listed under the name “Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (Riversleigh / Naracoorte)” with Riversleigh located in Queensland during 1994 in recognition of the fossil assemblages present at both sites which are considered to be a “superb illustration of the key stages of evolution of Australia’s unique fauna”.

Ramsar sites

As a contracting party to the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (known as the Ramsar Convention), Australia is encouraged ‘to nominate sites containing representative, rare or unique wetlands, or that are important for conserving biological diversity, to the List of Wetlands of International Importance’. As of March 2014, the Australian Government has nominated the following Ramsar sites within South Australia:

Indigenous Protected Areas

An Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) is a voluntary agreement between owners of indigenous owned land (known as traditional owners) and the Australian government which is intended to ‘promote biodiversity and cultural resource conservation on indigenous owned land’. As of March 2014, there are six IPAs in existence within South Australia:

Biosphere reserves

Two biosphere reserves belonging to the UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve program are located within South Australia - the Mamungari Conservation Park and the Riverland Biosphere Reserve.

The Mamungari Conservation Park in western South Australia which was formerly known as the Unnamed Conservation Park is co-managed by its traditional owners and DEWNR.

The Riverland Biosphere Reserve is located in the Riverland near Renmark. Two of its components are Calperum and Taylorville Stations which were respectively purchased by the Chicago Zoological Society in 1993 and the Australian Landscape Trust in 2000 with the ownership being deeded to the Director of National Parks. Both properties are managed by the Australian Landscape Trust.