Michaelmas and Upolu Cays National Park
| Michaelmas and Upolu Cays National Park | |
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IUCN Category II (National Park)
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| Nearest town/city | Cairns |
| Coordinates | 16°36′30″S 145°58′21″E / 16.60833°S 145.9725°E |
| Area | 30 km² |
| Established | 1975 |
| Managing authorities | Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service |
| Official site | Michaelmas and Upolu Cays National Park |
Michaelmas and Upolu Cays is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 1409 km northwest of Brisbane and 33 km east of Cairns. It comprises two small cays on Michaelmas Reef, which forms the north-eastern section of the Arlington reef complex, within the Great Barrier Reef.
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[edit] Flora and fauna
[edit] Plants
The vegetation on Michaelmas Cay is characteristic of cays found on the outer barrier reef. Low-growing, it consists of Beach Spinifex, Stalky Grass, Goatsfoot, Bulls-head Vine, Sea Purslane and Tar Vine. Nutrients fertilising the vegetation come from seabird droppings and carcasses. The smaller Upolu Cay is unvegetated.[1]
[edit] Animals
Michaelmas Cay is important as a breeding site for several species of terns. It has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA) because it supports over 1% of the world populations of Greater and Lesser Crested Terns.[2] Sooty Terns and Common Noddies also breed there. Other terns that have nested on the cay in the past include Roseate and Black-naped Terns.[3]
Green Turtles sometimes nest on the cays. The surrounding reefs have a rich marine fauna, including Giant Clams.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Michaelmas and Upolu Cays National Park". National parks, marine parks and forests. Queensland Government. http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/parks/michaelmas-upolu-cays/index.html. Retrieved 2011-08-15.
- ^ "IBA: Michaelmas Cay". Birdata. Birds Australia. http://www.birdata.com.au/iba.vm. Retrieved 2011-08-15.
- ^ BirdLife International. (2011). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Michaelmas Cay. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 15/08/2011.
[edit] See also
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