Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs Marine National Nature Reserve
- Country:Australia
- Site number:1223
- Area:187,726 ha
- Designation date:21-10-2002
- Coordinates:29°27'S 159°07'E
Materials presented on this website, particularly maps and territorial information, are as-is and as-available based on available data and do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
Overview
Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs Marine National Nature Reserve. 21/10/02; Coral Sea Islands Territory; 187,726 ha; 29°41’S 159°06’E. Nature Reserve. Located 50km apart in the northern Tasman Sea, the reefs are the southernmost coral atolls in the world. Their coral structures, which stand on isolated, oceanic sea mounts, are influenced by both tropical and temperate ocean currents. They support a diverse marine fauna, including uncommon and heretofore undescribed fishes and several endemic species of mollusc, and are the only known habitat for these species in a vast area of ocean. To date, some 322 fishes of 174 genera and 75 families have been recorded within the site. A large number of shipwrecks give the area considerable marine archaeological significance. There is no resident human population, and the limited recreational diving and fishing is not seen as a potential threat. Ramsar site no. 1223. Most recent RIS information: 2014.
Administrative region:
Australia’s East Marine Region
- National legal designation:
- National Nature Reserve
- Last publication date:01-01-2014
Downloads
Ramsar Information Sheet (RIS)
Archived RIS
Additional reports and documents
- A detailed Ecological Character Description (ECD)