Nuyts Archipelago Wilderness Protection Area 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 ...

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 ...

located in the

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, South Australia, Ceduna on the west coast of the Eyre Peninsula. It consisting of mostly granite, grani ...

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. Originally called Eyre’s Peninsula, it was named aft ...

within to south-west of

Ceduna Ceduna may refer to: *Ceduna, South Australia, a town and locality *Ceduna Airport Ceduna Airport is a public airport in Ceduna, South Australia. The airport, which is owned by the District Council of Ceduna is located adjacent to the Eyre ...

. The wilderness protection area consists of land on Blefuscu Island, Dog Island, Egg Island, part of Evans Island, Franklin Islands, Freeling Island, Fenelon Island, Goat Island, Hart Island, Lacy Islands, Lilliput Island, Lound Island, Masillon Island, Purdie Islands, Smooth Island,

St Francis Island St Francis Island (originally in Dutch: ''Eyland St. François'') is an island on the south coast of South Australia near Ceduna. It is part of the Nuyts Archipelago. It was one of the first parts of South Australia to be discovered and named ...

and West Island. The wilderness protection area was proclaimed on 25 August 2011 under the ''Wilderness Protection Act 1992'' in order to protect ‘important island habitat for species such as the

stick-nest rat ''Leporillus'' is a genus of rodent in the family Muridae endemic to Australia. It contains the following species: * Lesser stick-nest rat (''Leporillus apicalis'') (extinct) * Greater stick-nest rat (''Leporillus conditor'') References

* ...

and

brush-tailed bettong The woylie or brush-tailed bettong (''Bettongia penicillata'') is a small, critically endangered, gerbil-like mammal native to forests and shrubland of Australia. A member of the rat-kangaroo family (Potoroidae), it moves by hopping and is acti ...

s (which are part of re-introduction programs) and species such as the

carpet python ''Morelia spilota'', commonly referred to as the carpet python, is a large snake of the family Pythonidae found in Australia, New Guinea (Indonesia and Papua New Guinea), Bismarck Archipelago, and the northern Solomon Islands. Many subspecies are ...

and

short-nosed bandicoot The short-nosed bandicoots (genus ''Isoodon'') are members of the order (biology), order Peramelemorphia. These marsupials can be found across Australia, although their distribution can be patchy. Genetic evidence suggests that short-nosed bandic ...

’ and habitat for ‘other notable species’ including 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 in the genus ''Neophoca'', with the e ...

and mutton birds. It was created on land excised from all of the Isles of St Francis Conservation Park and part of the

Nuyts Archipelago Conservation Park Nuyts Archipelago Conservation Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located on Eyre Island and St Peter Island in the Nuyts Archipelago located off the west coast of Eyre Peninsula about south and south-east ...

, and land on Evans Island previously classed as unalienated Crown land with exception of a portion held by

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 obligations. The authority ...

for ‘lighthouse purposes’. The waters surrounding all of the islands in the wilderness protection area have been located within the

Nuyts Archipelago Marine Park Nuyts may refer to: People * Pieter Nuyts (1598–1655), Dutch explorer and diplomat * Pieter Nuyts (writer) (1640–1709), Dutch poet and playwright Places * Nuyts Archipelago (disambiguation), places associated with the island group in South A ...

since 2012. The wilderness protection area 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 Ib protected area.

References

External links

Nuyts Archipelago 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

See also

References

External links