Calectasia Conservation Park, formerly the Calectasia National Parks Reserve, is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...

located in the Australian state of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

in the locality of Wattle Range about south-east of the state capital of

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

and about west of the town of Penola. The conservation park occupies land in section 157 of the cadastral unit of the Hundred of Short on the southern side of the Robe - Penola Road. The land first acquired protected area status as the ''Calectasia National Parks Reserve'' proclaimed on 7 September 1967 under the ''National Parks Act 1966''. On 27 April 1972, it was renamed as the ''Calectasia Conservation Park'' upon the proclamation of the ''

National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 Protected areas of South Australia, consisting of protected areas located within South Australia and its immediate onshore waters and which are managed by South Australian Government agencies. As of 2018, South Australia contained 359 separat ...

'' which repealed the former act along with other statutes concerned with

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and manage ...

. As of 2016, it covered an area of . In 1980, the statement of significance provided for 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 Heri ...

states that it “preserves a population of the blue tinsel lily… now rare in South Australia and a small seasonal swamp important for water birds and eastern swamp rats.” In 1990, the conservation park was described as consisting of a ‘’stranded dune system” remnant divided into two areas by a low-lying area which accounts for about 70% of the conservation park's area and which is “subject to inundation during the wetter months of the year.” The area in the south supports a brown stringybark woodland with an understorey of Austral grass tree, the ‘low-lying area’ supports “a dense grassland of mainly

introduced species An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived ther ...

” while the area in the north supports a “low woodland of brown stringybark with large scattered desert banksia… and a dense heath understorey.” The blue tinsel lily grows in the north east part of the conservation park where a protective enclosure has been erected around the main stand of the plant. Additional protection exists for the species in the form of a vermin proof fence to the perimeter of the conservation park. The conservation park was within the part of the state that was burnt during the

Ash Wednesday bushfires The Ash Wednesday bushfires, known in South Australia as Ash Wednesday II, were a Bushfires in Australia, series of bushfires that occurred in south-eastern Australia in 1983 on 16 February. Within twelve hours, more than 180 bushfires, fires f ...

in February 1983. The conservation park is classified as an

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

Category IV protected area.

References

External links

Calectasia Conservation Park webpage on the Protected Planet website
{{Protected areas of South Australia, state=collapsed Conservation parks of South Australia Protected areas established in 1967 1967 establishments in Australia Limestone Coast South Australian places listed on the defunct Register of the National Estate

See also

References

External links