Protected areas of South Australia consists of protected areas located within South Australia and its immediate onshore waters and which are managed by South Australian Government agencies. As of March 2018, South Australia contains 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 which have a total land area of 211,387.48 km2 (81,617.16 sq mi) or 21.5% of the state's area.
Encounter Bay is a bay in the Australian state of South Australia located on the state's south central coast about 100 kilometres (62 mi) south of the state capital of Adelaide. It was named by Matthew Flinders after his encounter on 8 April 1802 with Nicolas Baudin, the commander of the Baudin expedition of 1800–03. It is the site of both the mouth of the River Murray and the regional city of Victor Harbor. It is one of four "historic bays" located on the South Australian coast.
Seal Bay Conservation Park is a protected area located on the south coast of Kangaroo Island in the Australian state of South Australia. It is the home of the third largest Australian sea lion colony in Australia.
The Backstairs Passage is a strait in South Australia lying between Fleurieu Peninsula on the Australian mainland and Dudley Peninsula on the eastern end of Kangaroo Island. The western edge of the passage is a line from Cape Jervis on Fleurieu Peninsula to Kangaroo Head on Kangaroo Island. The Pages, a group of islets, lie in the eastern entrance to the strait. About 14 km wide at its narrowest, it was formed by the rising sea around 13,000 years ago, at the end of the Pleistocene era, when it submerged the land connecting what is now Kangaroo Island with the Fleurieu Peninsula. Backstairs Passage was named by Matthew Flinders whilst he and his crew on HMS Investigator were exploring and mapping the coastline of South Australia in 1802.
West Island is a 10 hectares granite island lying 0.8 kilometres off the southern coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia, 7 kilometres south-west of the town of Victor Harbor. It rises to a maximum height of about 40 metres in the south-west. Its main conservation value lies in its seabird colonies.
Pelican Lagoon is a seawater lagoon in the Australian state of South Australia located on the north coast of Kangaroo Island about 18.7 kilometres south east of Kingscote. It was named by Matthew Flinders on 4 April 1802 after the large population of pelicans present in its waters and adjoining shorelines. Its role as fishery hatchery had been identified by the early 20th century with the result that fishing in its waters has been restricted in varying degrees.
Great Australian Bight Marine National Park is a marine protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located 918 km (570 mi) west of the state capital of Adelaide.
Rivoli Bay, is a bay located on the south-east coast of the Australian state of South Australia about 311 kilometres south-southeast of the state capital of Adelaide and about 65 kilometres northwest by west of the regional centre of Mount Gambier. It was named in 1802 by the Baudin expedition of 1800-03 after André Masséna, the Duke of Rivoli and Marshal of France. It is one of four 'historic bays' located on the South Australian coast.
Lacepede Bay is a bay in the Australian state of South Australia located on the state's south-east coast about 140 kilometres northwest of Mount Gambier and about 240 kilometres southeast of Adelaide. It was named in 1802 by the Baudin expedition of 1800-03 after Bernard Germain de Lacépède, the French naturalist. It is one of four ‘historic bays’ located on the South Australian coast.
Anxious Bay is a bay in the Australian state of South Australia located on the west coast of Eyre Peninsula about 275 kilometres west north-west of Adelaide. It was named by Matthew Flinders on 21 February 1802. It is one of four ‘historic bays’ located on the South Australian coast.
Port Noarlunga Reef Aquatic Reserve is a marine protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located in waters in Gulf St Vincent adjoining the Adelaide metropolitan area and including part of the Onkaparinga River about 28 kilometres (17 mi) south-west of the state capital of Adelaide.
Coobowie Aquatic Reserve is a marine protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located in the waters of Gulf St Vincent adjoining the east coast of Yorke Peninsula. It is located partly within the locality of Coobowie and partly within a bay called Salt Creek Bay within the gulf.
Troubridge Hill Aquatic Reserve is a marine protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located in Investigator Strait adjoining the south coast of Yorke Peninsula at the headland of Troubridge Hill.
Point Labatt Aquatic Reserve is a marine protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located in the waters of the Great Australian Bight adjoining the west coast of Eyre Peninsula at the headland of Point Labatt.
Seal Bay Aquatic Reserve was a marine protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located in waters off the south coast of Kangaroo Island immediately adjoining and including the intertidal zone within the locality of Seal Bay which is also part of the Seal Bay Conservation Park.
Bales Beach Aquatic Reserve was a marine protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located in waters off the south coast of Kangaroo Island immediately adjoining and including the intertidal zone within the locality of Seal Bay whose full extent is occupied by the Seal Bay Conservation Park.
American River Aquatic Reserve was a marine protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located on the north coast of Kangaroo Island in waters of the coastal lagoon known as Pelican Lagoon, in existence from 1971 to 2016. From 2012, the Pelican Lagoon Sanctuary Zone has fallen within the Encounter Marine Park. Pelican Lagoon is probably the oldest marine protected area in South Australia, having been protected since 1914.
Goose Island Aquatic Reserve is a marine protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located in waters adjoining the following island located in Spencer Gulf immediately north of Wardang Island and west of the town of Port Victoria - Goose Island, Little Goose Island and White Rock Island.
Aldinga Reef Aquatic Reserve is a marine protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located in waters adjoining the east coast of Gulf St Vincent including land within the intertidal zone in the suburbs of Aldinga Beach and Port Willunga about 40 kilometres (25 mi) south of the state capital of Adelaide.
Southern Kangaroo Island Marine Park is a marine protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located in state coastal waters adjoining both the south coast of Kangaroo Island and a group of islets located to the south of Kangaroo Island.
