Boolcoomatta Reserve

Boolcoomatta Reserve is a 630 km2 private protected area in eastern South Australia, 463 km north-east of Adelaide and 100 km west of Broken Hill. It is owned and managed by Bush Heritage Australia (BHA).

Boolcoomatta Reserve
South Australia
IUCN category II (national park)[1]
Boolcoomatta Reserve
Nearest town or cityOlary
Coordinates31.933°S 140.595°E / -31.933; 140.595
Established2006[2]
Area644.57 km2 (248.9 sq mi)[1]
Managing authoritiesBush Heritage Australia
WebsiteBoolcoomatta Reserve
FootnotesCoordinates
See alsoProtected areas of South Australia

History

The land was purchased by BHA in 2006 with assistance from the Australian Government and Nature Foundation SA.[2][3] Previously, the land was being used as a sheep station for 150 years and which ran a flock as large as 90,000 sheep.[4] Also, there are relics of some small-scale copper mining on the property.[5]

Landscape and vegetation

Much of Boolcoomatta is flat, with undulating ranges and rocky outcrops in the western section of the property. The ranges support open Acacia woodland while the plains to the east support shrublands of chenopods, including saltbush, as well as tussock grassland. Usually dry creeks, with occasional waterholes, are lined with river red Gums. The climate is arid, with an average annual rainfall of 190 mm.[5]

Fauna

A survey of the Boolcoomatta Reserve's wildlife conducted in 2012 by a team of 50 volunteers found healthy bird populations and increasing numbers of marsupials and reptiles.[2] Other threatened animal species present on the reserve include the slender-billed thornbill and thick-billed grasswren. There is habitat suitable for the yellow-footed rock wallaby, which is present on adjoining Bimbowrie Conservation Park.[5]

The reserve is overlapped by part of the Boolcoomatta, Bindarrah and Kalkaroo Stations Important Bird Area which has been identified by BirdLife International as supporting a significant population of plains-wanderers.[6]

Protected area status

Boolcoomatta Reserve has protected area status within the Australian National Reserve System due to the property being subject to a conservation covenant where BHA has agreed to it being "reserved in perpetuity.’’[1][7] The reserve is classified as an IUCN Category II protected area.[1][8]

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See also

References
  1. "Terrestrial Protected Areas of South Australia (see 'DETAIL' tab)". CAPAD 2014. Australian Government, Department of the Environment (DoE). 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  2. "Wildlife survey reveals thriving landscape". ABC Newscastle. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 9 April 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
  3. "Bush Heritage Australia". Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  4. "Outback sheep station becomes conservation reserve". The World Today. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 27 April 2007. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
  5. "Boolcoomatta Reserve". Bush Heritage Australia. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  6. "IBA: Boolcoomatta, Bindarrah & Kalkaroo Stations". Birdata. Birds Australia. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
  7. "Standards for inclusion in the National Reserve System" (PDF). Commonwealth of Australia. p. 2. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  8. "Official Record for Boolcoomata". World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA), a joint project of IUCN and UNEP. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
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