Coral Sea Marine Park islands protected

Parks Australia has increased protections for 4 remote islands in the Coral Sea Marine Park to safeguard and restore their vulnerable ecosystems.

The Coral Sea Marine Park is Australia’s largest marine park, protecting vast reef areas and 67 cays and islets, and is home to a rich variety of marine wildlife.

South Islet (Willis Islets), Bird Islet (Wreck Reef), North East Cay (the Herald Cays), and Magdelaine Cay South are about 500km off Queensland’s east coast, and are now closed to the public to protect and restore these locations.

South and Bird islets are currently affected by weeds such as couch grass, which outcompete native vegetation and threaten important nesting habitat for seabirds such as sooty terns, brown noddies, and shearwaters.

A major remediation project is underway on South and Bird islets to restore the native vegetation, improve seabird habitat, and prevent weeds from spreading to neighbouring islands.

North East Cay and Magdelaine Cay South, part of the Coringa-Herald and Lihou Reefs and Cays Ramsar Site, are home to the marine park’s last remaining stands of Pisonia grandis, a flowering tree found on some islands in the Indian and Pacific oceans.

These fragile forests are particularly vulnerable to introduced pests such as scale, ants and moths that can be transported unintentionally by visitors.

Shaun Barclay, Branch Head of Parks Australia’s Marine and Island Parks Branch, said the closures reflect the vulnerability of these remote ecosystems.

“Being tiny and isolated, these islands have no permanent residents, apart from a small weather station on South Islet, which means pest species can establish before anyone detects them,” Mr Barclay said.

“We’ve already detected several introduced ant species and numerous invasive weeds. These pests are most likely to have arrived on gear taken ashore by visitors.

“Distance alone limits visitation, but the risk remains high for seeds, insects or other pests hitchhiking on clothing, shoes, towels, bags or equipment.”

Parks Australia is asking people visiting other Coral Sea islands to review and follow the Island Access Guideline before going ashore.

The guideline outlines visitor responsibilities, including:

• undertaking vessel pest control
• cleaning gear, footwear and equipment before landing
• avoiding taking animals, plants or soil ashore
• following rules for fishing, anchoring, watercraft and drones.

For more information on accessing islands in the Coral Sea Marine Park, please refer to Be pest-free in the Coral Sea