Cap Island Conservation Park
Cap Island Conservation Park South Australia | |
---|---|
Nearest town or city | Elliston. |
Established | 16 March 1967[1] |
Area | 9 hectares (22 acres)*[1] |
Managing authorities | Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources |
See also | Protected areas of South Australia |
Cap Island Conservation Park is located 7.5 km offshore, west of Mount Misery, Eyre Peninsula. The park covers Cap Island's 8ha surface. The island consists of a granite base and a calcarenite mantle; its margins steeply over-hanging and eroded. Typical vegetation is a low Nitre Bush (Nitraria billardierei) shrubland. Cap Island Conservation Park was constituted by statute in 1972 to conserve a sea bird breeding area and Australian Sea-lion (Neophoca cinerea) and New Zealand Fur-seal (Arctocephalus forsteri) haul-out areas.[2] Cap Island also bears the alternative name of Rocky Island.[3]
History
Matthew Flinders named the island on 16 February 1802, alluding to the island's topography, geology and cap-like profile. The island was proclaimed a Fauna Conservation Reserve in 1967 and gazetted as the Cap Island Conservation Park in 1991. The conservation park is classified as an IUCN Category Ia protected area.[4]
Fauna
In addition to marine mammals, at least nine species of birds have been recorded on Cap Island.[5] These include:
- Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae : Silver Gull
- Haematopus fuliginosus fuliginosus : Sooty Oystercatcher
- Hirundo (Hirundo) neoxena neoxena : Welcome Swallow
- Neophema (Neonanodes) petrophila : Rock Parrot
- Pelagodroma marina : White-faced Storm-petrel
- Sterna (Sterna) striata : White-fronted Tern
- Sternula nereis nereis : Fairy Tern
- Sturnus (Sturnus) vulgaris vulgaris : Common Starling
- Thalasseus bergii : Crested Tern
Flora
At least eight species of plants have been recorded on Cap Island.[5] They include:
- Apium prostratum var. prostratum : Sea Celery
- Disphyma crassifolium subsp. clavellatum : Rounded Noon-flower
- Frankenia pauciflora var. fruticulosa
- Frankenia pauciflora : Australian Sea-heath
- Lawrencia squamata : Thorny Lawrencia
- Mesembryanthemum crystallinum : Common Ice plant
- Nitraria billardierei : Dillon Bush
- Zygophyllum apiculatum : Callweed
References
- ^ a b "Protected Areas Information System - reserve list (as of 25 November 2014)" (PDF). Department of Environment Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
- ^ Management Plan - Island Parks of Western Eyre Peninsula. South Australia: Government of South Australia - Department for Environment & Heritage. 2006. ISBN 1 921238 18 6.
- ^ "Property Location Browser V2". Government of South Australia, Department of Planning, Transport & Infrastructure. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
- ^ "Terrestrial Protected Areas of South Australia (see 'DETAIL' tab)". CAPAD 2012. Australian Government - Department of the Environment. 6 February 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
- ^ a b "Explore Your Area - Cap Island, South Australia". The Atlas of Living Australia. Retrieved 30 August 2014.