Conserving the Heard Island and McDonald Islands Marine Environment

12 July 2024

(Image credit: UNESCO)

The Heard Island and McDonald Islands Marine Reserve was established in 2002. It is one of the world’s largest highly protected (IUCN category 1A) marine reserves. The Australian Government has prepared a report to inform the review of the marine reserve and its management plan: the Conservation values in the marine environment surrounding Heard Island and the McDonald Islands report.

The Heard Island and McDonald Islands (HIMI) lie approximately 4,000 km southwest of Australia. They are located in the southern Indian Ocean. This report summarizes currently available scientific knowledge on the status of conservation values in the HIMI marine environment. It includes threats posed by:

climate change
pollution
fishing
invasive species.

This report is available on the Australian Antarctic Division website.

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