__NOTOC__ Lowan Conservation Park (formerly Lowan National Park) is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

located in the Australian state of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

in the locality of Bowhill about east of the state capital of

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

and about west of the town of Perponda. The conservation park consists of crown land in sections 71 and 73 in the cadastral unit of the

Hundred of Bowhill Bowhill may refer to: ;People: *Frederick Bowhill, (1880 – 1960), RAF Air Chief Marshal ;Places: * Bowhill, Fife, near Kirkcaldy, Scotland *Bowhill, Scottish Borders, near Selkirk, Scotland *Bowhill House, a historic house near Bowhill at Selkirk ...

. Section 71 was purchased by the South Australian government on the advice of “the Land Board and National Parks Council” from the owner “who were anxious to see scrub remain on the block.” It acquired protected area status as the Lowan National Park on 9 September 1971 by proclamation under the ''National Parks Act 1966''. On 27 April 1972, it was reconstituted as the ''Lowan Conservation Park'' upon the proclamation of the '' National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972''. On 2 August 1973, land in section 73 of the Hundred of Bowhill was added to the conservation park. As of 2016, it covered an area of . In 1980, it was described as follows:

An area of
mallee scrub Mallee Woodlands and Shrublands is one of 32 Major Vegetation Groups defined by the Australian Government Department of the Environment and Energy. Description " Mallee" refers to the growth habit of a group of (mainly) eucalypt species that g ...
supporting breeding populations of
mallee fowl The malleefowl (''Leipoa ocellata'') is a stocky ground-dwelling Australian bird about the size of a domestic chicken (to which it is distantly related). It is notable for the large nesting mounds constructed by the males and lack of parental ca ...
and
wedge-tailed eagle The wedge-tailed eagle (''Aquila audax'') is the largest bird of prey in the continent of Australia. It is also found in southern New Guinea to the north and is distributed as far south as the state of Tasmania. Adults of this species have lon ...
s. A gently undulating area of mallee scrub the principal species being ''
Eucalyptus socialis ''Eucalyptus socialis'', commonly known as the red mallee, or grey mallee, is a species of mallee that is endemic to inland Australia. Description ''Eucalyptus socialis'' is a mallee that typically grows to a height of , but can reach as hig ...
'', '' E. gracilis'' and '' E. Dumosa'' with an understorey of
acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus na ...
species. Rabbits are abundant in the park and excessive grazing is preventing adequate regeneration of some species. The surrounding land is developed for the wheat / sheep agricultural industry.

The conservation park is classified as an

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

Category III protected area. In 1980, it was listed on the now-defunct

Register of the National Estate The Register of the National Estate was a heritage register that listed natural and cultural heritage places in Australia that was closed in 2007. Phasing out began in 2003, when the Australian National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heritag ...

References

External links

Lowan Conservation Park webpage on the Protected Planet websiteLowan Conservation Park webpage on the BirdsSA website
{{Protected areas of South Australia, state=collapsed Conservation parks of South Australia Protected areas established in 1971 1971 establishments in Australia South Australian places listed on the defunct Register of the National Estate

See also

References

External links