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List of protected areas of Western Australia

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The Valley of the Giants skywalk at Walpole-Nornalup National Park

Western Australia is the second largest country subdivision in the world.

As of 2022, based on the latest Collaborative Australian Protected Areas Database report, it contains 1857 separate land-based protected areas with a total area of 76,142,710 hectares (188,152,700 acres), accounting for just over 30 percent of the state's land mass. By area, Indigenous Protected Areas account for the largest part of this, almost 67 percent while, by number, nature reserves hold the majority with two-third of all land-based protected areas being nature reserves.[1][2]

Marine-based protected areas in Western Australia, as of 2022, covered 4,751,462 hectares (11,741,120 acres) or 41.05 percent of the state's waters. 41 individual Marine Protected Areas existed in the state of which the largest amount, 20, were Marine Parks, followed by Marine Reserves with 15. Marine Parks accounted for 92.25 percent of all Marine Protected Areas in the state.[3]

Protected areas of Western Australia

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Conservation Parks

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Main article: List of conservation parks of Western Australia

As of 2022, the following 72 conservation parks exist in Western Australia, covering 1,262,139 hectares (3,118,810 acres) or 0.5 percent of Western Australia's land mass, and accounting for 1.66 percent of all protected areas in the state.[1][2]

Marine Nature Reserves

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As of 2022, 15 Marine Nature Reserves exist in Western Australia.[3]

Marine Parks

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As of 2022, 20 Marine parks exist in Western Australia, covering 4,385,783 hectares (10,837,510 acres) or 37.88 percent of Western Australia's waters, and accounting for 92.25 percent of all marine protected areas in the state.[3]

National Parks

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Main article: List of national parks of Western Australia

Overview

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Western Australia has had national parks or protected areas under legislation since the early 20th century. National Parks (and the earlier forms of reserve) in Western Australia came under a range of agencies:[4]

  • Department of Lands and Surveys: 1 January 1890 - (partly split) 31 December 1895
  • Wood and Forests Department: 1 January 1896 – 31 December 1918
  • Forests Department: 1 January 1919 – 21 March 1985
  • State Gardens Board: 15 December 1920 – 30 April 1957 (Parks and Reserves Act 1895)
  • National Parks Board: 1 May 1957 – 30 July 1977
  • Department of Fisheries and Fauna: 1 October 1964 – 31 December 1973
  • National Parks Authority: 1 August 1977 – 15 April 1985
    • The National Parks and Nature Conservation Authority replaced the National Parks Authority in 16 April 1985 ceased 30 October 2000. Then to the Conservation Commission.[5]
  • Wildlife section of the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife: 1 January 1974 – 21 March 1985
  • Department of Environment: 1 July 2004 - 30 June 2006
  • Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM): 22 March 1985 – 30 June 2006 (Conservation and Land Management Act 1984)
  • Department of Parks and Wildlife (2006 to 2017 ?)
  • The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions was created on 1 July 2017

List

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As of 2023, Western Australia has 112 national parks. At the time of the 2022 Collaborative Australian Protected Areas Database report, the 110 then-registered national parks covered 6,511,458 hectares (16,090,160 acres) or 2.58 percent of Western Australia's land mass, and accounting for 8.55 percent of all protected areas in the state.[1][2]

Nature Reserves

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As of 2022, the following 1,233 nature reserves exist in Western Australia, covering 10,074,297 hectares (24,894,130 acres) or 3.99 percent of Western Australia's land mass, and accounting for 13.23 percent of all protected areas in the state.[1][2]

Named

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Main article: List of named nature reserves of Western Australia

As of 2022, 826 named nature reserves exist in Western Australia.

Unnamed

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Main article: List of unnamed nature reserves of Western Australia

As of 2022, 407 unnamed nature reserves exist in Western Australia.

Marine

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As of 2022, an additional 15 nature reserves exist in Western Australia which are listed on the marine register, consisting exclusively of offshore islands, covering 9,912 hectares (24,490 acres) or 0.09 percent of Western Australia's waters, and accounting for 0.21 percent of all marine protected areas in the state.[3]

Regional parks

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Main article: Regional parks in Western Australia

Section 5(1)(g) and (h) Reserves

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Under the CALM Act, land designated as 5(1)(g) Reserve and 5(1)(h) Reserve is land vested in the Conservation and Parks Commission of Western Australia that is not a National Park, Conservation Park, Nature Reserve, Marine Park or Marine Nature Reserve. Such land may have a wide variety of purposes, but are normally related to recreation, wildlife conservation, infrastructure and historical features.[6]

As of 2022, 44 5(1)(g) Reserves exist in Western Australia, covering 220,824 hectares (545,670 acres) or 0.09 percent of Western Australia's land mass, and accounting for 0.29 percent of all protected areas in the state.[1][2]

As of 2022, 129 5(1)(h) Reserves exist in Western Australia, covering 786,924 hectares (1,944,530 acres) or 0.31 percent of Western Australia's land mass, and accounting for 1.03 percent of all protected areas in the state.[1][2]

Indigenous Protected Areas

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Main article: List of Indigenous Protected Areas of Western Australia

As of 2022, the following 18 Indigenous Protected Areas exist in Western Australia, covering 50,915,811 hectares (125,815,710 acres) or 20.15 percent of Western Australia's land mass, and accounting for 66.87 percent of all protected areas in the state.[1][2][7]

Others

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Additionally to the protected areas listed above, Western Australia, as of 2022, also has two Botanic Gardens (Kings Park and Bold Park), 172 Conservation Covenants, ten Conservation Reserves, six Management Areas, eight Private Nature Reserves, one State Reserve (Rottnest Island) and two unclassified areas (one of those being Perth Zoo). Additionally, another 50 protected areas existed in 2022 which were waiting to be gazetted.[1][2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Terrestrial CAPAD 2022 WA summary". www.dcceew.gov.au/. Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Australian Protected Areas Dashboard". www.dcceew.gov.au/. Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d "Marine CAPAD 2022 WA summary". www.dcceew.gov.au/. Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  4. ^ Information from the database at State Records Office of Western Australia
  5. ^ "Correspondence Files - Parks Board". January 1990.
  6. ^ "Description of Land Type Categories" (PDF). www.dmp.wa.gov.au. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  7. ^ UNEP-WCMC and IUCN (2022), Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM) [Online], May 2022, Cambridge, UK: UNEP-WCMC and IUCN. Available at: www.protectedplanet.net.

Further reading

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  • Streetsmart Travellers Atlas of Western Australia (9th ed.). Department of Land Information and West Australian Newspapers. 2006. p. 289. ISBN 1-921048-13-1. In the state maps reserves can be identified and are listed in the Geographical Features Index
  • Roads & tracks Western Australia : campsites directory, roads and tracks, all in one (5th ed.). Jolimont WA: Quality Publishing Australia. 2007. p. 252. ISBN 978-1-876723-35-4. Has a National Parks (including Aboriginal Reserves) index
  • UBD Western Australia country road atlas (11th ed.). Macquarie Park NSW: UBD, a division of Universal Publishers. 2005. ISBN 0-7319-1587-9. Identifies reserves very clearly in maps but has no accompanying index
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