Vernon Islands Conservation Reserve

Vernon Islands Conservation Reserve
Vernon Islands[1], Northern Territory
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)[2]
Vernon Islands Conservation Reserve is located in Northern Territory
Vernon Islands Conservation Reserve
Vernon Islands Conservation Reserve
Nearest town or cityDarwin[1]
Coordinates12°02′36″S 131°02′48″E / 12.04334426°S 131.046742898°E / -12.04334426; 131.046742898[2]
Established19 April 1974 (1974-04-19)[2]
Area81.58 km2 (31.5 sq mi)[2]
See alsoProtected areas of the Northern Territory

Vernon Islands Conservation Reserve is a protected area in the Northern Territory of Australia located in the locality of Vernon Islands about 50 kilometres (31 mi) north-east of the territory capital of Darwin.[1]

The conservation reserve consists of the Vernon Islands, an island group consisting of three islands - East Vernon Island, Northwest Vernon Island and Southwest Vernon Island, and a nearby reef known as Knight Reef which is exposed at low tide.[3]: 2 

The conservation reserve first acquired protected area status as a crown reserve declared under section 103 of the Crown Lands Ordinance on 30 April 1974 by the Australian government. In 1979, the crown reserve was renamed under the Territory Parks and Conservation Act as the Vernon Islands Conservation Reserve.[4][3]

The conservation reserve’s legal status has been effectively put aside because the land under protection was the subject of a claim lodged in 1978 under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976. The claim was subsequently resolved with revised legislation being assented on 11 December 2015 and with the title of the land being given to the Mantiyupwi Tiwi people on 12 March 2018.[3][5][6]

In early 2018, the conservation reserve was not listed on the Northern Territory Government’s official list of protected areas.[7]

In 2016, the conservation reserve was described in a document published by the Australian government as being categorized as an IUCN Category V protected area.[2]

  1. ^ a b c ""Vernon Islands"". NT Atlas and Spatial Data Directory. Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Terrestrial Protected Areas by Reserve Type in Northern Territory (2016)". CAPAD 2016. Australian government. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  3. ^ a b c "VERNON ISLANDS Conservation Management Plan" (PDF). Tiwi Land Council. May 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  4. ^ "PROCLAMATION THE NORTHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA Crown Lands Ordinance PROCLAMATION (re Reserve No. 1444)". Australian Government Gazette. General. No. 36. Australia. 30 April 1974. p. 2. Retrieved 3 May 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ "Vernon Islands Handed Back". NT Parks and Reserves Estate. Northern Land Council. 1 June 2018. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  6. ^ "ABORIGINAL LAND RIGHTS (NORTHERN TERRITORY) AMENDMENT ACT 2015 (NO. 175, 2015) - SCHEDULE 1". Commonwealth Numbered Acts. Commonwealth of Australia. 11 December 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2019 – via Austlii. VERNON ISLANDS. All those parcels of land being Northern Territory Portions 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 delineated on Survey Plan S.2015/208 lodged with the Surveyor-General, Darwin, and together containing an area of approximately 8,271.2 hectares.
  7. ^ "NT Parks and Reserves List" (PDF). NT Parks and Reserves Estate. Northern Territory Government. 15 March 2018. Retrieved 3 May 2019.