What is the Heard Island & McDonald Islands Marine Reserve?

One of the world’s largest highly protected IUCN category 1A marine reserves the Heard Island and McDonald Islands Marine Reserve was established by Australia in the waters surrounding HIMI in 2002.

Will Australia expand the Heard & McDonald Island Marine Reserve?

The Australian Government is proposing to expand the Heard and McDonald Island (HIMI) Marine Reserve by over 300,000 km 2 to around 379,000 km 2. The expanded reserve would cover nearly 90 per cent of the Exclusive Economic Zone around the islands and bring the proportion of Australian waters protected through marine reserves to 51 per cent.

Where are Heard Island and McDonald Islands located?

The islands are a territory (Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands) of Australia administered from Hobart by the Australian Antarctic Division of the Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.

Are seabirds consuming marine resources at Heard Island and McDonald Islands?

Consumption of marine resources by seabirds and seals at Heard Island and the McDonald Islands. Budd, G. M and Stephenson, P. J. (1968). Recent glacier retreat on Heard Island.

Who manages Heard Island & McDonald Islands?

They are managed by the Australian Antarctic Division. The islands are unoccupied by humans and remain one of the world’s least anthropogenically disturbed areas. A map of Heard Island and McDonald Islands land areas updated in 2024 with recent coastline mapping and 2014 glacial

How big is Heard Island & McDonald Islands?

The group's overall land area is 372 km 2 (144 sq mi) and it has 101.9 km (63 mi) of coastline. Discovered in the mid-19th century, the islands lie on the Kerguelen Plateau in the Indian Ocean and have been an Australian territory since 1947. Heard Island and McDonald Islands contain Australia's only two active volcanoes.