Investigator Group Wilderness Protection Area 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 ...

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 ...

, located in the

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 explored ...

of islands off the west coast of

Eyre Peninsula The Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded by the Spencer Gulf on the east, the Great Australian Bight on the west, and the Gawler Ranges to the north. Earlier called Eyre's Peninsula, it was named after e ...

, between and south-west of Elliston. It was proclaimed in August 2011 under the ''Wilderness Protection Act 1992'' to protect "important haul-out areas for the

Australian sea lion The Australian sea lion (''Neophoca cinerea''), also known as the Australian sea-lion or Australian sealion, is a species of sea lion that is the only endemic pinniped in Australia. It is currently Monotypic taxon, monotypic in the genus ''Neopho ...

and

New Zealand fur seal ''Arctocephalus forsteri'' (common names include the Australasian fur seal, South Australian fur seal, New Zealand fur seal, Antipodean fur seal, or long-nosed fur seal) is a species of fur seal found mainly around southern Australia and New Z ...

" and habitat for species such as

white-faced storm petrel The white-faced storm petrel (''Pelagodroma marina''), (Māori language, Māori: ''takahikare'') also known as white-faced petrel or frigate petrel is a small seabird of the austral storm petrel family Oceanitidae. It is the only member of the m ...

Cape Barren geese The Cape Barren goose (''Cereopsis novaehollandiae''), sometimes also known as the pig goose, is a species of goose endemic to southern Australia. It is a distinctive large, grey bird that is mostly terrestrial and is not closely related to othe ...

, mutton birds and the Pearson Island black-footed rock-wallaby. The wilderness protection area was created from land excised from the

Investigator Group Conservation Park . __NOTOC__ Investigator Group Conservation Park was a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located on islands within the Investigator Group of islands off the west coast of Eyre Peninsula about north-west of the state cap ...

. It consists of the Ward Islands, the Top Gallant Isles, and the

Pearson Isles Pearson Isles (also called the Pearson Islands, Pearson Group and Pearson Archipelago) is an island group located in the Australian state of South Australia about to west south-west of Cape Finniss on the west coast of Eyre Peninsula withi ...

, which consist of Dorothee Island,

Pearson Island Pearson Island is an island located in the Australian state of South Australia within the Pearson Isles an island group located in the larger island group, group known as the Investigator Group about southwest by west of Cape Finniss on the ...

and

Veteran Isles Veteran Isles (; also known as the Veteran Islands) is a pair of islands in the Australian state of South Australia which is part of the Pearson Isles which itself is part of the larger island group known as the Investigator Group. It is locat ...

with the exception of a portion of land on Pearson Island held by the

Australian Maritime Safety Authority Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) is an Australian statutory authority responsible for the regulation and safety oversight of Australia's shipping fleet and management of Australia's International Maritime Organization, international ...

for "lighthouse purposes". Since 2012, the waters adjoining the islands located in the wilderness protected area have been part of the

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 ...

. The wilderness protected area is classified as an IUCN Category Ib protected area.

References

External links

Investigator Group Wilderness Protection Area webpage on protected planet
{{Protected areas of South Australia, state=collapsed Wilderness areas of South Australia Protected areas established in 2011 2011 establishments in Australia Great Australian Bight