World Heritage Sites of Australia 2nd edition by Peter Valentine

Author:Peter Valentine
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: NLA Publishing
Published: 2023-08-21T00:00:00+00:00

Large numbers of Macaroni penguins use Heard Island for breeding in summer months.

Lava flow on Mawson Peak, Heard Island, 2017.

The 1982 IUCN review of the world’s greatest natural areas identified Heard and McDonald islands as potential World Heritage areas and in particular drew attention to their wildlife. The ecological wellbeing of the islands’ animal and plant life is largely due to the relative lack of introduced pest species, which have been so problematic on other remote islands. In addition, no extractive industry is allowed and there is now no permanent settlement, with only rare and minor temporary visits by humans. This provides an exceptional opportunity for the maintenance of biological processes and the continuing assessment of conservation outcomes away from the direct disturbance of people. This World Heritage site is also an outstanding example of ongoing geological processes, particularly of active volcanoes—Heard and McDonald islands have the only active subantarctic volcanoes in the world. Not only that, the glaciers that have formed on Heard Island are relatively shallow and fast flowing and respond quickly to climate change. This makes them important sites for monitoring changes to our warming planet as they occur.

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