Montebello Islands Marine Park

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Gorgon Gas Field and Barrow Island

The Montebello Island Marine Park with a size of 58,331 hectares is located off the northwest coast of Western Australia , about 1,600 km from Perth and 120 km from the city of Dampier. The reserve includes the entire group of Montebello Islands .

Meaning and environment

In the vicinity of the marine park is one of the most important oil and gas extraction zones in Australia , the Gorgon gas field , and it is also one of the most important breeding and nesting sites for sea ​​turtles .

It is also a large contiguous protected area with the Barrow Island Marine Park with 4169 hectares and the Barrow Island Marine Management Area with 114.693 hectares.

The first British-Australian atomic bomb explosions took place on the Montebello Islands, so the Alpha Island and Trimouille Islands can only be entered for one hour a day and no objects can be picked up. They cannot be inhabited for centuries.

Flora and fauna

In addition to the endemic barrier reef turtle , green turtle , hawksbill sea turtle and the occasional loggerhead turtle, the three protected areas can be found .

In the marine area of the park keep on minke whale , toothed whale , Bryde's whale , humpback whale , sperm whale , short-finned pilot whale , killer whale , false killer whale , common dolphin , striped dolphin , bottlenose dolphin and dugong on.

There are 150 species of hard corals in the marine area and numerous species of birds have been identified.

Mangrove forests grow on the coast, alternating with sandy beaches and rocky reefs. There are also significant coral reefs with tropical fauna in the park's waters .

  • Hawksbill sea turtle

  • Blue and white dolphin

  • Killer whale

  • Dugongs

Economic use

In the area of Montebello Islands and the Barrow Island were in 2006, natural gas and crude oil valued at AUD promoted 515 million.

Furthermore, fishing, crabs and turtles are caught in the sea and tourism plays a role with diving, snorkeling, wildlife watching and water sports. Cultured pearl production has been carried out in the area since 1902.

Others

Archeological traces of Aborigines have not yet been found on the coast of this park.

Web links

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  1. ^ Marineparks.wa.gov.au : Barrow Island Marine Park, in English, accessed July 19, 2011
  2. ^ Marineparks.wa.gov.au : Barrow Island Marine Management Area, accessed July 19, 2011
  3. ^ A b Montebello Islands Marine Park - Department of Environment and Conservation ( Memento from April 10, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  4. ^ A b Management Plan for the Montebello / Barrow Islands. Marine Conservation Reserves 2007–2017. Management plan no 55 . P. 8, in English

Coordinates: 20 ° 25 ′  S , 115 ° 33 ′  E