Protected areas of South Australia consists of

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 ...

s located within

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 ...

and its immediate onshore waters and which are managed by

South Australian Government The Government of South Australia, also referred to as the South Australian Government, SA Government or more formally, His Majesty’s Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of South Australia. It is modelled o ...

agencies. As of March 2018, South Australia contains 359 separate protected areas declared under the ''National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972'', the ''Crown Land Management Act 2009'' and the ''Wilderness Protection Act 1992'' which have a total land area of or 21.5% of the state's area.

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 Australia's National Reserve System (NRS) is a network of more than 10,000 Commonwealth plus state and territory protected areas which, in combination, on a national scale, protect more than , greater than 17% of the continent, of unique biodi ...

. 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 The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government i ...

does not have the power under the

Australian constitution The Constitution of Australia (or Australian Constitution) is a constitutional document that is supreme law in Australia. It establishes Australia as a federation under a constitutional monarchy and outlines the structure and powers of the ...

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 The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It i ...

) and establishment of agreements for

Indigenous Protected Area An Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) is a class of protected area used in Australia; each is formed by voluntary agreement with Indigenous Australians, and declared by Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islander representative organisations ...

''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 Keeping is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Charles Keeping (1924–1988), British illustrator, children's book author and lithographer * Damien Keeping (born 1982), Australian rules football coach * Frederick Keeping (1867– ...

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...

ing and harvesting, and the control of

hunting Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

. The act is administered by the

Department for Environment and Water The Department for Environment and Water (DEW) is a department of the Government of South Australia. Created on 1 July 2012 by the merger of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Department for Water as the Department of ...

(DEW). As of February 2014, reserves declared under this act totalled 320 with a total area of or 19.6% of South Australia's area. , there are around 360 parks across South Australia subject to the act and National Parks Regulations. The following types of reserves are listed within the Act:

national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

s, conservation parks,

game reserve A game reserve (also known as a wildlife preserve or a game park) is a large area of land where wild animals live safely or are hunted in a controlled way for sport. If hunting is prohibited, a game reserve may be considered a nature reserve; ...

s, 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 May 2020, updated December 2021, CC-BY icon

Text may have been copied from this source, which is available under
Attribution 3.0 Australia (CC BY 3.0 AU)
licence. the following national parks have been declared: * Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary—Winaityinaityi Pangkara * Belair * Canunda *

Cleland Cleland may refer to: Places * Cleland, South Australia, a suburb ** Cleland National Park, a protected area in South Australia ***Cleland Wildlife Park, a zoo within the area of Cleland National Park * Cleland, North Lanarkshire, a small village ...

(2021) *

Coffin Bay Coffin Bay, originally Coffin's Bay, is a town at the southern extremity of the Eyre Peninsula, a wheat growing area of South Australia. At the 2016 census, Coffin Bay had a population of 611. Material was copied from this source, which is avai ...

* Coorong * Deep Creek (2021) * Flinders Chase *

Gawler Ranges The Gawler Ranges are a range of stoney hills in South Australia to the north of Eyre Peninsula. The Eyre Highway skirts the south of the ranges. The Gawler Ranges National Park is in the ranges north of Kimba, South Australia, Kimba and Wudinna ...

* Glenthorne–Ityamaiitpinna Yarta (2020) * Great Australian Bight Marine * Ikara-Flinders Ranges * Dhilba Guuranda-Innes *

Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre Lake Eyre ( ), officially known as Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre, is an endorheic lake in east-central Far North South Australia, some north of Adelaide. The shallow lake is the depocentre of the vast endorheic Lake Eyre basin, and contains the ...

* Lake Frome National Park (2021) *

Lake Gairdner Lake Gairdner is a large endorheic salt lake in the Australia, Australian state of South Australia, to the north of the Eyre Peninsula. When in flood, the lake is considered the third largest salt lake in Australia. Description Lake Gairdner i ...

Lake Torrens Lake Torrens ( Kuyani: ''Ngarndamukia'') is a large ephemeral, normally endorheic salt lake in central South Australia. After sufficiently extreme rainfall events, the lake flows out through the Pirie-Torrens corridor to the Spencer Gulf. Is ...

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

* Malkumba-Coongie Lakes *

Mount Remarkable Mount Remarkable is a mountain in South Australia located in the Flinders Ranges about north of the centre of the capital city of Adelaide and immediately north-west of the town of Melrose, which was once named Mount Remarkable itself, and wh ...

* Munga-Thirri–Simpson Desert (2021) *

Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest r ...

Naracoorte Caves Naracoorte Caves National Park is a national park near Naracoorte in the Limestone Coast tourism region in the south-east of South Australia ( Australia). It was officially recognised in 1994 for its extensive fossil record when the site was in ...

* Nilpena Ediacara National Park *

Nullarbor The Nullarbor Plain ( ; Latin: feminine of , 'no', and , 'tree') is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country of southern Australia, located on the Great Australian Bight coast with the Great Victoria Desert to its ...

Onkaparinga River The Onkaparinga River, known as Ngangkiparri or Ngangkiparingga ("place of the women’s river") in the Kaurna language, is a river located in the Southern Adelaide region in the Australian state of South Australia. Rising in the Mount Lofty Ran ...

* Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges * Wapma Thura–Southern Flinders Ranges National Park (2021) * Witjira

Conservation Parks

Conservation parks are "areas protected for the purpose of conserving wildlife or the natural or historic features of the land". As of March 2018, updated December 2021 (after five national parks had been created, incorporating several former conservation parks), the following conservation parks have been declared: * Aberdour *

Acraman Creek Acraman may refer to: Places *Acraman crater, an impact crater in South Australia ** Lake Acraman, a lake at the centre of the Acraman crater * Acraman Creek, a stream in the west of South Australia ** Acraman Creek Conservation Park, a protected a ...

* Aldinga Scrub * Althorpe Islands * Angove * Avoid Bay Islands * Baird Bay Islands * Bakara * Bandon * Bangham *

Barwell Barwell is a civil parish and large village in Leicestershire, England, with a population of 8,750 residents, Increasing to 9,022 at the 2011 census, the name literally translates as "Stream of the Boar" and is said to originate from a boar that ...

* Bascombe Well * Baudin *

Baudin Rocks Baudin Rocks, also previously known as the Godfrey Islands, is a group of islets on the south east coast of in the Australian state of South Australia about North-northwest of Robe. The islet group was discovered and named by Matthew Flinder ...

Beachport Beachport is a small coastal town in the Australian state of South Australia about south-east of the state capital of Adelaide and about north-west of the municipal seat in Millicent, located at the northern end of Rivoli Bay. Beachport has ...

* Beatrice Islet * Belt Hill * Beyeria * Big Heath * Billiatt * Bimbowrie * Bird Islands * Black Hill * Black Rock * Boondina * Brookfield *

Bullock Hill Bullock Hill is a mountain located in the Catskill Mountains of New York state, west-northwest of Walton. Walton Mountain is located east-southeast of Bullock Hill, Carroll Hill is located west-southwest of it, Couse Hill is located to the no ...

* Busby Islet * Butchers Gap * Calectasia * Calpatanna Waterhole * Cap Island *

Cape Blanche Cape Blanche is a headland located on the west coast of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia about south south-west of the town of Streaky Bay and about west of the town of Sceale Bay. History While it is within the coastline first charted by ...

* Cape Gantheaume *

Cape Willoughby Cape Willoughby is a headland in the Australian state of South Australia located on the east end of the Dudley Peninsula on Kangaroo Island in the gazetted locality of Willoughby about south east of the town of Penneshaw. The cape is described ...

* Caralue Bluff * Carappee Hill * Carcuma * Caroona Creek *

Carpenter Rocks Carpenter Rocks is a town and locality located south-west of Mount Gambier in the south-east of South Australia. The area faces the Southern Ocean and is renowned for its rugged coastline which provides exceptional fishing and diving locations. ...

* Carribie * Chadinga * Charleston * Christmas Rocks * Clements Gap * Clinton * Cocata * Cooltong * Corrobinnie Hill * Cox Scrub *

Cromer Cromer ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish on the north coast of the English county of Norfolk. It is north of Norwich, north-northeast of London and east of Sheringham on the North Sea coastline. The local government authorities are Nor ...

Cudlee Creek Cudlee Creek is a small town near Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the Adelaide Hills Council local government area. History The name Cudlee Creek is probably derived from the Kaurna word ''kadli'', meaning the Dingo Creek. The fir ...

* Custon * Cygnet Estuary * Danggali * Darke Range * Desert Camp * Dingley Dell *

Douglas Point The Douglas Point Nuclear Generating Station was Canada’s first full-scale nuclear power plant and the second CANDU (CANada Deuterium Uranium) pressurised heavy water reactor. Its success was a major milestone and marked Canada's entry into the ...

Dudley Dudley is a large market town and administrative centre in the county of West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically an exclave of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the ...

* Eba Island * Elliot Price * Eric Bonython * Ettrick *

Ewens Ponds Ewens Ponds is a series of three water-filled limestone sinkholes in the Australian state of South Australia located in the gazetted locality of Eight Mile Creek, on the watercourse of Eight Mile Creek about south of Mount Gambier and eas ...

* Fairview * Ferguson * Ferries-McDonald * Finniss *

Fort Glanville Fort Glanville Conservation Park is a protected area located in the Australian state of South Australia located in Semaphore Park, a seaside suburb of Adelaide consisting of a functional 19th century fort listed on the South Australian Heritage ...

* Fowlers Bay * Franklin Harbor * Furner *

Gambier Islands The Gambier Islands ( or ) are an archipelago in French Polynesia, located at the southeast terminus of the Tuamotu archipelago. They cover an area of , and are made up of the Mangareva Islands, a group of high islands remnants of a caldera alo ...

* Geegeela * Giles *

Glen Roy Glen Roy ( gd, Gleann Ruaidh, meaning "red glen") in the Lochaber area of the Highlands of Scotland is a glen noted for the geological phenomenon of three loch terraces known as the Parallel Roads of Glen Roy. The terraces formed along the ...

* Goose Island *

Gower Gower ( cy, Gŵyr) or the Gower Peninsula () in southwest Wales, projects towards the Bristol Channel. It is the most westerly part of the historic county of Glamorgan. In 1956, the majority of Gower became the first area in the United Kingdom ...

* Grass Tree * Greenly Island *

Guichen Bay Guichen Bay, (French: Baie de Guichen) is a bay located on the south-east coast of the Australian state of South Australia about northwest of the regional city of Mount Gambier and about south-southeast of the state capital of Adelaide. It wa ...

* Gum Lagoon * Gum Tree Gully * Hacks Lagoon *

Hale Hale may refer to: Places Australia *Hale, Northern Territory, a locality *Hale River, in southeastern Northern Territory Canada *Hale, Ontario, in Algoma District United Kingdom * Hale, Cumbria, a hamlet near Beetham, Cumbria *Hale, Greater Man ...

* Hallett Cove * Hanson Scrub * Heggaton * Hesperilla *

Hincks Hinck and Hincks are surnames, and may refer to: Hinck * Jon Hinck (born 1954), American environmentalist Hincks * Carroll C. Hincks (1889–1964), federal judge in the United States * Sir Cecil Hincks (1894–1963), Australian politician * Edw ...

* Hogwash Bend * Hopkins Creek * Horsnell Gully * Ironstone Hill * Jip Jip * Kaiserstuhl * Kanku-Breakaways * Kapunda Island * Karte * Kathai * Kellidie Bay * Kelly Hill * Kelvin Powrie * Kenneth Stirling * Kinchina * Kulliparu * Kungari *

Kyeema Kyeema may refer to: *Kyeema, an aircraft which crashed in the Australian state of Victoria in 1938 (refer 1938 Kyeema Crash). * Kyeema (rice), an Australian rice variety (refer List of rice varieties This is a list of rice cultivars, also known ...

Lake Frome Lake Frome / Munda is a large endorheic lake in the Australian state of South Australia to the east of the Northern Flinders Ranges. It is a large, shallow, unvegetated salt pan, long and wide, lying mostly below sea level and having a total s ...

* Lake Gilles * Lake Hawdon South * Lake Newland *

Lake St Clair Lake St. Clair (french: Lac Sainte-Claire) is a freshwater lake that lies between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Michigan. It was named in 1679 by French Catholic explorers after Saint Clare of Assisi, on whose feast da ...

* Lashmar * Lathami * Laura Bay * Lawari * Lesueur * Leven Beach *

* Lipson Island * Little Dip * Lowan * Lower Glenelg River * Maize Island Lagoon * Malgra * Mamungari * Mantung * Marino *

Mark Oliphant Sir Marcus Laurence Elwin Oliphant, (8 October 1901 – 14 July 2000) was an Australian physicist and humanitarian who played an important role in the first experimental demonstration of nuclear fusion and in the development of nuclear weapon ...

Marne Valley Val-de-Marne (, "Vale of the Marne") is a department of France located in the Île-de-France region. Named after the river Marne, it is situated in the Grand Paris metropolis to the southeast of the City of Paris. In 2019, Val-de-Marne had a p ...

* Martin Washpool *

Martindale Hall Martindale Hall is a Georgian style mansion near Mintaro, South Australia which appeared in the film '' Picnic at Hanging Rock''. Construction Martindale Hall was built for a wealthy bachelor pastoralist, Edmund Bowman Jr (1855–1921). T ...

* Mary Seymour * Media Island * Messent * Middlecamp Hills * Mimbara * Minlacowie * Moana Sands * Mokota * Monarto * Monarto Woodlands *

Montacute Montacute is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Somerset, England, west of Yeovil. The village has a population of 831 (2011 census). The name Montacute is thought by some to derive from the Latin "Mons Acutus", referrin ...

* Moody Tank * Morgan * Morialta * Mount Billy * Mount Boothby * Mount Brown * Mount Dutton Bay * Mount George * Mount Magnificent * Mount Monster * Mount Scott * Mount Taylor * Mowantjie Willauwar * Mullinger Swamp * Munyaroo * Murrunatta * Mylor * Myponga * Nene Valley *

Nepean Bay Nepean Bay is a bay located on the north-east coast of Kangaroo Island in the Australian state of South Australia about south-south-west of Adelaide. It was named by the British navigator, Matthew Flinders, after Sir Evan Nepean on 21 March 1 ...

Neptune Islands The Neptune Islands consist of two groups of islands located close to the entrance to Spencer Gulf in South Australia. They are well known as a venue for great white shark tourism. Description The Neptune Islands consists of two groups of is ...

* Newland Head *

Ngarkat The Ngarkat is a recorded title of a tribal group from South Australia. The Ngarkat lands had linked the mallee peoples of Victoria and South Australia to the river peoples of the Murray River Murraylands. Ngarkat language has been loosely groupe ...

* Ngaut Ngaut *

Nicolas Baudin Island Nicolas Baudin Island is an island in the Australia, Australian state of South Australia about west of Cape Blanche on the west coast of Eyre Peninsula about south south-west of the town of Streaky Bay, South Australia, Streaky Bay. The isla ...

* Nixon-Skinner *

Nuyts Archipelago The Nuyts Archipelago is an island group located in South Australia in the Great Australian Bight to the south of the town of Ceduna on the west coast of the Eyre Peninsula. It consisting of mostly granitic islands and reefs that prov ...

* Nuyts Reef *

Olive Island The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family (biology), family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as '' ...

* Padthaway * Pandappa * Para Wirra * Paranki Lagoon *

Parndana Parndana is a town and locality in the Australian state of South Australia located on Kangaroo Island about southwest of the state capital of Adelaide and about southwest of the municipal seat of Kingscote. History Parndana was established a ...

* Peachna * Peebinga *

Pelican Lagoon Pelican Lagoon is a seawater lagoon in the Australian state of South Australia located on the north coast of Kangaroo Island about south east of Kingscote. It was named by Matthew Flinders on 4 April 1802 after the large population of peli ...

* Penambol * Penguin Island * Penola *

Piccaninnie Ponds Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park, formerly the Piccaninnie Ponds National Park, is a protected area of located in southeastern South Australia near Mount Gambier. Description The Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park is located in the south- ...

* Pigface Island * Pike River * Pine Hill Soak * Pinkawillinie * Point Bell * Point Davenport *

Point Labatt Point Labatt is a headland located on the west coast of Eyre Peninsula in the Australian state of South Australia about south by east of Streaky Bay. It is notable as one of the largest Australian mainland breeding sites for Australian sea li ...

* Pooginook * Poonthie Ruwe * Porter Scrub * Pualco Range * Pullen Island * Pureba * Ramco Point * Ramsay * Red Banks * Reedy Creek * Ridley * Rilli Island * Rocky Island (North) * Rocky Island (South) * Roonka * Rudall * Salt Lagoon Islands * Sandy Creek * Sceale Bay * Scott * Scott Creek * Seal Bay *

Searcy Bay Searcy may refer to: Places * Searcy, Arkansas, a town in White County, Arkansas, United States * Searcy Bay Conservation Park, a protected area in South Australia *Searcy County, Arkansas, a county in north-central Arkansas, United States *Searcy ...

* Seddon * Shannon * Sheoak Hill *

Simpson Simpson most often refers to: * Simpson (name), a British surname *''The Simpsons'', an animated American sitcom **The Simpson family, central characters of the series ''The Simpsons'' Simpson may also refer to: Organizations Schools *Simpso ...

* Sinclair Island *

Sir Joseph Banks Group The Sir Joseph Banks Group is an archipelago in the Australian state of South Australia located in Spencer Gulf about off the eastern coast of the Eyre Peninsula. It consists of 21 islands of which eighteen are in the Sir Joseph Banks Group Co ...

* Sleaford Mere * Spring Gully * Spring Mount *

Stipiturus The emu-wrens (''Stipiturus'') are a genus of passerine birds in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae. They are found only in Australia, where they inhabit scrub, heathland and grassland. They are small birds, 12–19 cm long with the ta ...

* Swan Reach * Talapar * Talisker * Tallaringa * Tantanoola Caves * Telford Scrub *

The Dutchmans Stern __NOTOC__ The Dutchmans Stern is a mountain in South Australia located in the Flinders Ranges about north-west of the town of Quorn, South Australia, Quorn and north east of the city of Port Augusta, South Australia, Port Augusta. The mount ...

* The Knoll *

The Pages The Pages is an island group in the Australian state of South Australia consisting of two small islands and a reef located in Backstairs Passage, a strait separating Kangaroo Island and the Fleurieu Peninsula. The island group has been loca ...

* The Plug Range * Thidna * Tilley Swamp *

Torrens Island Torrens Island is an island in the Australian state of South Australia located in the Adelaide metropolitan area in the Port River Estuary about northwest of the Adelaide city centre. Since European settlement of Adelaide in 1836, it has ...

Troubridge Island Troubridge Island is an island located in the south west corner of Gulf St Vincent in South Australia near the eastern edge of the Troubridge Shoals off the east coast of Yorke Peninsula about southeast by east of the town of Edithburgh It is ...

* Tucknott Scrub *

Tumby Island Tumby Island is a low bedrock island located 500 m east of the southern tip of Tumby Bay (Tumby Point) in Spencer Gulf, South Australia. The island is a conservation park comprising 35 hectares. The island can be accessed on foot at low tide by ...

* Venus Bay * Verran Tanks * Vivigani Ardune * Vivonne Bay * Wabma Kadarbu Mound Springs *

Wahgunyah Wahgunyah is a town in northeastern Victoria, Australia. The town is on the southern bank of the Murray River, opposite Corowa, New South Wales, in the Shire of Indigo. Wahgunyah is north east of the state capital, Melbourne and west of Albury ...

* Waitpinga *

Waldegrave Islands Waldegrave Islands is an island group in the Australian state of South Australia located in the Investigator Group about northwest by west of Cape Finniss on the west coast of Eyre Peninsula. The group consists of Waldegrave Island, Little W ...

* Wanilla * Wanilla Land Settlement *

Warren A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval A ...

* Warrenben *

West Island The West Island () is the unofficial name given to the cities, towns and boroughs at the western end of the Island of Montreal, in Quebec, Canada. It is generally considered to consist of the Lakeshore municipalities of Dorval, Pointe-Cla ...

* Wharminda *

Whidbey Isles The Whidbey Isles Conservation Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia which consists of seven islands located about west-southwest of Coffin Bay on the lower Eyre Peninsula. The conservation park consists of all of ...

* White Dam *

Whyalla Whyalla was founded as "Hummocks Hill", and was known by that name until 1916. It is the fourth most populous city in the Australian state of South Australia after Adelaide, Mount Gambier and Gawler and along with Port Pirie and Port Augusta ...

* Wiljani * Wills Creek * Winninowie * Wittelbee * Woakwine * Wolseley Common * Yalpara * Yeldulknie * Yulte * Yumbarra Former conservation parks include Cape Hart, Cape Torrens,

, Ediacara, Eurilla,

Investigator Group The Investigator Group is an archipelago in South Australia that consists of Flinders Island and five island groups located off the western coast of the Eyre Peninsula. It is named after by her commander, Matthew Flinders when he explore ...

, Isles of St Francis, Mount Rescue, Mount Shaugh, Munga-Thirri–Simpson Desert Conservation Park,

, Port Gawler and Scorpion Springs, Spaniards Gully, Telowie Gorge, Western River, and Wirrabara Range.

Game Reserves

Game reserves are "areas set aside for conservation of wildlife and the management of game for seasonal hunting". As of March 2018, the following game reserves have been declared: Former game reserves include Coorong and Katarapko.

Recreation Parks

Recreation parks are 'areas managed for public recreation and enjoyment in a natural setting.' As of March 2018, 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 March 2018, the following regional reserves had been declared(since November 2021 excluding Lake Frome and Munga-Thirri–Simpson Desert, since they were converted into national parks):

Other South Australian legislation

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 March 2018, the following conservation reserves have been declared:'' As of March 2018, reserves declared under the ''Crown Land Management Act 2009'' totalled 15 with a total area of 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 South Australian Forestry Corporation (trading as ForestrySA) is a business enterprise owned by the Government of South Australia which is responsible for management of publicly owned plantation forests in South Australia including the commercial ...

(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 Southern Flinders Ranges is a South Australian wine region, located east of Spencer Gulf. It is located to the east and north-east of Port Pirie. Though vines have been planted in the area since the 1890s, the Southern Flinders Ranges is a re ...

, the

Mount Lofty Ranges The Mount Lofty Ranges are a range of mountains in the Australian state of South Australia which for a small part of its length borders the east of Adelaide. The part of the range in the vicinity of Adelaide is called the Adelaide Hills and ...

and the

Limestone Coast The Limestone Coast is a name used since the early twenty-first century for a South Australian government region located in the south east of South Australia which immediately adjoins the continental coastline and the Victorian border. The ...

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 DEW. As of March 2018, the following areas have been declared: As of March 2018, reserves declared under the ''Wilderness Protection Act 1992'' totalled 14 with a total area of or 1.9% of South Australia’s area.

Protected zones for Historic Shipwreck sites

The ''Historic Shipwrecks Act 1981'' which is administered by DEW 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 DEW has provision for ‘the protection and enhancement of the

River Murray The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest ...

and related areas and ecosystems’. As of September 2010, the following protection areas have been designated: *The

floodplain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goudi ...

of the

within South Australia including Lake Alexandrina, Lake Albert and the Coorong. *The watershed of the following tributaries arising from the east side of the

Marne Marne can refer to: Places France *Marne (river), a tributary of the Seine *Marne (department), a département in northeastern France named after the river * La Marne, a commune in western France *Marne, a legislative constituency (France) Nethe ...

, Bremer and Finniss rivers.

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 IUCN protected area categories, or IUCN protected area management categories, are categories used to classify protected areas in a system developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The enlisting of such areas is part ...

protected areas.

Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary

Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary (ADS) is a sanctuary area intended to protect the

Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin The Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (''Tursiops aduncus'') is a species of bottlenose dolphin. This dolphin grows to long, and weighs up to . It lives in the waters around India, northern Australia, South China, the Red Sea, and the eastern ...

(''Tursiops aduncus'') population residing in the Port Adelaide River estuary and

Barker Inlet The Barker Inlet is a tidal inlet of the Gulf St Vincent in Adelaide, South Australia, named after Captain Collet Barker who first sighted it in 1831. It contains one of the southernmost mangrove forests in the world, a dolphin sanctuary, seagra ...

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 DEW.

Marine parks

Marine parks are

marine protected areas Marine protected areas (MPA) are protected areas of seas, oceans, estuaries or in the US, the Great Lakes. These marine areas can come in many forms ranging from wildlife refuges to research facilities. MPAs restrict human activity for a conserv ...

located 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: *

Far West Coast Marine Park Far West Coast Marine Park is a marine park in South Australia. The park is within state waters, about from the state capital of Adelaide. The land around Far West Coast Marine Park is very much flat, bordered by the Nullarbor Plain to the north ...

* Nuyts Archipelago Marine Park *

West Coast Bays Marine Park West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

Investigator Marine Park __NOTOC__ Investigator Marine Park is a marine protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located in the state's coastal waters in its west adjoining the west coast of Eyre Peninsula and islands in the Investigator Group respective ...

* Thorny Passage Marine Park *

Sir Joseph Banks Group Marine Park ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...

* Neptune Islands Group (Ron and Valerie Taylor) Marine Park *

Gambier Islands Group Marine Park __NOTOC__ Gambier Islands Group Marine Park is a marine protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located in state coastal waters around the Gambier Islands at the mouth of Spencer Gulf. The marine park was established on 29 Ja ...

* Franklin Harbor Marine Park *

Upper Spencer Gulf Marine Park Upper may refer to: * Shoe upper or ''vamp'', the part of a shoe on the top of the foot * Stimulant, drugs which induce temporary improvements in either mental or physical function or both * ''Upper'', the original film title for the 2013 found f ...

* Eastern Spencer Gulf Marine Park *

Southern Spencer Gulf Marine Park Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

Lower Yorke Peninsula Marine Park Lower may refer to: *Lower (surname) *Lower Township, New Jersey *Lower Receiver (firearms) *Lower Wick Lower Wick is a small hamlet located in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It is situated about five miles south west of Dursley, eig ...

* Upper Gulf St Vincent Marine Park *

Encounter Marine Park Encounter Marine Park is a marine park in South Australia. It is in the Fleurieu Peninsula in state of South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part ...

Western Kangaroo Island Marine Park __NOTOC__ Western Kangaroo Island Marine Park (formerly Western Kangaroo Island Commonwealth Marine Reserve) is a marine protected area located south of South Australia in waters within the Australian Exclusive economic zone to the south-west ...

* Southern Kangaroo Island Marine Park *

Upper South East Marine Park Upper may refer to: * Shoe upper or ''vamp'', the part of a shoe on the top of the foot * Stimulant, drugs which induce temporary improvements in either mental or physical function or both * ''Upper'', the original film title for the 2013 found fo ...

* Lower South East Marine Park

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 north 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 ...

includes the Arkaroola Pastoral Lease and the

Mawson Plateau 230px, Typical Mawson Plateau terrain; rolling hills, with sparse vegetation interspersed with numerous eroded granite boulders. The Mawson Plateau, located at is part of the northern Flinders Ranges, located on the Mount Freeling pastoral lease ...

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 IUCN protected area categories, or IUCN protected area management categories, are categories used to classify protected areas in a system developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The enlisting of such areas is part ...

. As of February 2014, 1537 agreements in respect to 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 Gluepot Reserve is a private protected area located in the Australian state of South Australia in the gazetted locality of Gluepot, South Australia, Gluepot about north of the town of Waikerie, South Australia, Waikerie. History Gluepot was e ...

Australian government

World heritage site

As of March 2015,

Naracoorte Caves National Park Naracoorte Caves National Park is a national park near Naracoorte in the Limestone Coast tourism region in the south-east of South Australia (Australia). It was officially recognised in 1994 for its extensive fossil record when the site was ins ...

is the sole

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

located in South Australia. It was co-listed under the name “Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (Riversleigh / Naracoorte)” with Riversleigh located in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

during 1994 in recognition of the

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

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 This is the list of Wetlands of International Importance as defined by the Ramsar Convention for the conservation movement, conservation and sustainable use of wetlands, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their econom ...

’. As of March 2014, the Australian Government has nominated the following Ramsar sites within South Australia: * Banrock Station Wetland Complex * Bool and Hacks Lagoons *

Coongie Lakes The Coongie Lakes is a freshwater wetland system located in the Far North region of South Australia. The lakes system is located approximately north of the Adelaide city centre. The wetlands includes lakes, channels, billabongs, shallow flood ...

Coorong and Lakes Alexandrina and Albert Wetland Lake Alexandrina is a coastal freshwater lake located between the Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island and Murray and Mallee regions of South Australia, about south-east of Adelaide. The lake adjoins the smaller Lake Albert (together known as the ...

* Piccaninnie Ponds Karst Wetlands *

Riverland The Riverland is a region of South Australia. It covers an area of along the Murray River, River Murray from where it flows into South Australia from New South Wales and Victoria (Australia), Victoria downstream to Blanchetown, 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: *Antara-Sandy Bore *Kalka-Pipalyatjara * Mount Willoughby * Nantawarrina * Watarru and Walalkara *

Yalata Yalata is an Aboriginal community located west of Ceduna and south of Ooldea on the edge of the Nullarbor Plain in South Australia. It lies on the traditional lands of the Wirangu people, but the settlement began as Yalata Mission in the ...

Biosphere reserves

Two

biosphere reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

s belonging to the UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve program are located within South Australia - the Mamungari Conservation Park and the

Riverland Biosphere Reserve The Riverland Biosphere Reserve, formerly the Bookmark Biosphere Reserve, is a area of land in eastern South Australia, adjoining the states of New South Wales and Victoria. It is one of 14 biosphere reserves in Australia and is part of the Wo ...

. 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 DEW. The Riverland Biosphere Reserve is located in the

near Renmark. Two of its components are Calperum and Taylorville Stations which were respectively purchased by the

Chicago Zoological Society Brookfield Zoo, also known as the Chicago Zoological Park, is a zoo located in the Chicago suburb of Brookfield, Illinois. It houses around 450 species of animals in an area of . It opened on July 1, 1934, and quickly gained international recogn ...

in 1993 and the Australian Landscape Trust in 2000 with the ownership being deeded to the

Director of National Parks Director of National Parks is a government-owned corporation of the Government of Australia, Australian government responsible for the management of a portfolio of protected area, terrestrial and marine protected areas proclaimed under the ''Env ...

. Both properties are managed by the Australian Landscape Trust.

Footnotes

References

External links

Parks SA homepage, formerly the National Parks and Wildlife ServicePrimary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA) Fisheries Aquatic reserves and marine parksDEW Maritime Heritage homepage
{{Marine protected areas of South Australia, state=collapsed

Protected areas 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 ...