Recherche Archipelago Nature Reserve 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
Recherche Archipelago
The Archipelago of the Recherche, known locally as the Bay of Isles, is a group of 105 islands, and over 1200 "obstacles to shipping", off the south coast of Western Australia. The islands stretch from east to west and to off-shore encomp ...
off the south coast of
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
. It consists of at least 104 islands and at least 1,200 obstacles to shipping (reefs, islets and rocks) and covers an area of sea extending from east to west and up to a distance of from the coast of the Australian continent. As of 2012, visitor access is limited to
Middle Island within the nature reserve and is only available via a licensed tour operator. The nature reserve 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 Ia protected area.
See also
*
List of protected areas of Western Australia
Western Australia is the second largest country subdivision in the world. It contains no fewer than separate Protected Areas with a total area of (land area: – 6.30% of the state’s area). Ninety-eight of these are National Parks, totalli ...
References
Nature reserves in Western Australia
Goldfields-Esperance
Protected areas established in 1948
1948 establishments in Australia
Recherche Archipelago
{{WesternAustralia-geo-stub