Chowilla Regional Reserve South Australia | |
---|---|
IUCN category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources) [1] | |
Nearest town or city | Berri [2] |
Coordinates | 33°41′47.7″S140°51′48.9″E / 33.696583°S 140.863583°E [1] |
Established | 8 April 1993 [3] |
Area | 752.21 km2 (290.4 sq mi) [2] |
Managing authorities | Department for Environment and Water Robertson Chowilla Pty Ltd [4] |
Website | Chowilla Regional Reserve |
See also | Protected areas of South Australia |
Chowilla Regional Reserve is protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located in the gazetted locality of Chowilla about 250 kilometres (160 miles) north-east of the state capital of Adelaide.
The reserve was proclaimed on 8 April 1993 in conjunction with the Chowilla Game Reserve and covers an area of 75,221 hectares (185,880 acres). "It protects and conserves a semi-arid environment adjacent to the Murray River. The dominant land uses of the reserve are pastoral production, conservation of natural and historic features and tourism/recreation." [5] The reserve is also classified as a Category VI protected area by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). [1]
It is situated on the Chowilla floodplain, [6] which is protected as part of the Riverland Ramsar site, [7] designated by the Ramsar Convention as a wetland of international importance. [8]
The area includes several lakes and wetland areas which provide habitat for native flora and fauna, but since the area has been affected by drought and the use of water from the Murray regulated, much of the plain has remained dry for long periods. Lake Limbra, situated at the northern end of the reserve, is regarded as a sacred site by the local Aboriginal peoples, who used it as a burial site. The lake's geographical location on the eastern end of the floodplain as well as its low-lying altitude meant that in the past, it was first to be filed during flood events. [6]
In March 2021, a three-month project to pump water into Lake Limbra from the Murray River was undertaken by the state Department for Environment and Water, SA Water and a group of First Nations people, using a system of water pumps and cranes. By June, much wildlife was observed in and around the lake, including wetland birds such as ducks, and also shield shrimp, a tiny crustacean adapted to living in desert areas and was able to cope with periodic drying of muddy lakes. [6]
Protected areas of Australia include Commonwealth and off-shore protected areas managed by the Australian government, as well as protected areas within each of the six states of Australia and two self-governing territories, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory, which are managed by the eight state and territory governments.
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 separate protected areas declared under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972, the Crown Land Management Act 2009 and the Wilderness Protection Act 1992. Together, they cover a total land area of 211,387.48 km2 (81,617.16 sq mi) or 21.5% of the state's area.
Murray River National Park is a protected area in South Australia located between 180 kilometres (110 mi) and 240 km (150 mi) north east of the Adelaide city centre, lying along the Murray River. The national park is classified as an IUCN Category VI protected area. As of 2022 the national park comprises more than 14,879 ha, and includes a vast network of Murray River wetlands and floodplains.
Lake Alexandrina is a coastal freshwater lake located between the Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island and Murray and Mallee regions of South Australia, about 100 kilometres (62 mi) south-east of Adelaide. The lake adjoins the smaller Lake Albert and a coastal lagoon called The Coorong to its southeast, before draining into the Great Australian Bight via a short, narrow opening known as Murray Mouth.
Renmark is a town in South Australia's rural Riverland area, and is located 254 km (157.83 mi) northeast of Adelaide, on the banks of the River Murray. The Sturt Highway between Adelaide and Sydney runs through the town; Renmark is the last major town encountered in South Australia when driving this route. It is a few kilometres west of the SA–Victoria and SA–NSW borders. It is 31 m (101.71 ft) above sea level.
The Riverland is a region of South Australia. It covers an area of 9,386 square kilometres (3,624 sq mi) along the River Murray from where it flows into South Australia from New South Wales and Victoria downstream to Blanchetown. The major town centres are Renmark, Berri, Loxton, Waikerie, Barmera and Monash, and many minor townships. The population is approximately 35,000 people.
The Riverland Biosphere Reserve, formerly the Bookmark Biosphere Reserve, is a 9,000 square kilometres 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 World Network of Biosphere Reserves, being officially recognized and listed by UNESCO in 1977.
Innamincka Regional Reserve is a protected area located in the north-east of South Australia which includes the town of Innamincka. The regional reserve was proclaimed on 22 December 1988 under National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 over a parcel of land previously part of the Innamincka Pastoral Lease to recognise it as "a place of major conservation importance" whilst permitting ongoing mining and agricultural activity. It was the first "multiple use reserve to be administered by a nature conservation agency" to be declared in South Australia under the category of regional reserve provided for in the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972. It is partly located on land that was included on the List of Wetlands of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention under the name Coongie Lakes in 1987. In 2005, a parcel of land was excised from the regional reserve to create the national park now known as Malkumba-Coongie Lakes National Park. It also includes the Innamincka/Cooper Creek state heritage area. The regional reserve is classified as an IUCN Category VI protected area.
The Paroo-Darling National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Far West region of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The 178,053-hectare (439,980-acre) national park spans two distinct regions in the outback area. This region covers the arid catchments of the Paroo River and the Paroo-Darling confluence to the south.
The Coongie Lakes is a freshwater wetland system located in the Far North region of South Australia. The 21,790-square-kilometre (8,410 sq mi) lakes system is located approximately 1,046 kilometres north of the Adelaide city centre. The wetlands includes lakes, channels, billabongs, shallow floodplains, deltas, and interdune swamps. It lies on the floodplain of Cooper Creek, an ephemeral river flowing through a desert landscape in the Lake Eyre Basin which rarely, after occasional large floods, empties into Lake Eyre. The wetland system has been recognised both as being of international importance by designation under the Ramsar Convention with a listing on 15 June 1987 and being nationally important within Australia with a listing in A Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia (DIWA). Its extent includes the regional town of Innamincka, the Malkumba-Coongie Lakes National Park, the Innamincka Regional Reserve, the Strzelecki Regional Reserve and the Coongie Lakes Important Bird Area.
Malkumba-Coongie Lakes National Park is a protected area located in the north-east of South Australia about 110 kilometres north-west of Innamincka.
The Narran Wetlands, also known as the Narran Lakes, contained within the Narran Lake Nature Reserve, comprise a series of protected ephemeral lakes and swamps fed by the Narran River in the north-west of New South Wales, Australia. The 26,480-hectare (65,400-acre) reserve is located approximately 50 kilometres (31 mi) east of Brewarrina.
The Riverland Mallee Important Bird Area comprises a 12,200 square kilometres tract of mallee habitat and riverine woodland extending from near Waikerie in the Riverland region in eastern South Australia north-eastwards into south-western New South Wales.
Chowilla Game Reserve is a protected area covering the floodplain on the north side of the River Murray in South Australia from about 8 kilometres north-east of Renmark to the New South Wales border. It was proclaimed 8 April 1993 in conjunction with the Chowilla Regional Reserve, after a community consultation process which recommended that "hunting of waterfowl be a permitted activity in selected areas of the Chowilla floodplain". The game reserve is classified as an IUCN Category VI protected area.
Loch Luna Reserve is a protected area covering the floodplain on the north side of the River Murray in South Australia between the towns of Kingston-on-Murray in the west and Cobdogla in the east. It is located about 180 kilometres east north-east of the Adelaide city centre. It was proclaimed on 7 November 1985 with exception to a parcel of land known as Sugarloaf Hill within the boundaries of the game reserve which has been excluded from protection for the purpose of mining activity. The Moorook Game Reserve immediately adjoins the game reserve's southern boundary. It and the Moorook Game Reserve are reported as providing "significant wildlife habitat and are popular recreation sites, particularly for river-based activities and camping". The game reserve is classified as an IUCN Category VI protected area. In 1989, it was listed on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate.
Moorook Game Reserve is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia covering the floodplain on the south side of the River Murray in the localities of Kingston-on-Murray and Moorook immediately south of the section of the Sturt Highway that passes between the towns of Kingston-on-Murray in the west and Cobdogla in the east. It is located about 180 kilometres east north-east of the state capital of Adelaide.
A Regional Reserve is a type of protected area used in South Australia that allows the use of natural resources in conjunction with the protected area's conservation function. This class of protected area was first used in 1988 for the Innamincka Regional Reserve and as of 2015, there are seven regional reserves that cover an area of 93,400 square kilometres (36,062 sq mi) or 9.5% of South Australia's land area.
Chowilla is a locality in the Australian state of South Australia, located on the northern side of the Murray River about 250 kilometres to the north-east of the capital city of Adelaide and about 40 kilometres to the north-east of the town of Renmark, and which is bounded by the border with New South Wales in the east.
The Chowilla floodplain is a floodplain adjacent to the Murray River, upstream of Renmark, South Australia. The floodplain includes the Chowilla Game Reserve and Chowilla Regional Reserve, and also extends across the state border into New South Wales.
Calperum Station, also known as Calperum Reserve, is a nature reserve located in the east of the Australian state of South Australia about 10 kilometres north-west of the town of Renmark and about 250 kilometres east of the state capital of Adelaide. Calperum Station consists of three separate pastoral leases - Calperum, Calperum Road and Yubalia.