Shark Bay
Shark Bay is a large bay on the west coast of Western Australia. It is about 800 km (497 mi) north of Perth. In 1991, the bay, its islands, and the land around it were added to UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites.[1]
UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
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Location | Gascoyne region, Western Australia, Australia |
Criteria | Natural: vii, viii, ix, x |
Reference | 578 |
Inscription | 1991 (15th Session) |
Area | 2,200,902 ha |
Coordinates | 25°30′S 113°30′E / 25.500°S 113.500°ECoordinates: 25°30′S 113°30′E / 25.500°S 113.500°E |
Shark Bay has three important features to protect. It has the largest seagrass beds in the world. These are home to about 10% of the world's dugongs. And at one end of the bay are stromatolites, which are the oldest form of life on the Earth. The protected area covers 2,197,300 ha (5,429,647 acres).
World Heritage Site
The area protected by the World Heritage Site is made up of different areas.[2] About 70% of the site is marine environment protected by national parks and reserves, and includes 1,500 km (932 mi) of coastline. About 20% was used for farming, but half of this area has been taken over by the government and is now conservation area. About 6% is in national parks and reserves.
Parks and reserves
- Bernier Island
- Dirk Hartog Island National Park
- Dorre Island
- Charlie Island
- Faure Island Sanctuary
- Francois Peron National Park
- Friday Island
- Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve
- Hamelin Pool/East Faure Island High-Low Water Mark
- Koks Island
- Monkey Mia
- Shark Bay Marine Park
- Shell Beach Conservation Park
- Small Islands
- Zuytdorp Nature Reserve
Shark Bay Media
Louis Henri de Saulces de Freycinet's Useless Harbour in Shark Bay, seen from the SPOT satellite
Stromatolites in Hamelin Pool are ancient structures that are built by microbes.
Related pages
References
- ↑ UNESCO, "Shark Bay, Western Australia"; retrieved 2012-4-23.
- ↑ "World Heritage - Managing the World Heritage Area". sharkbay.org. 2012. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
Other websites
Media related to Shark Bay at Wikimedia Commons