Protected Areas

The total area of protected land (i.e. land proclaimed or reserved for conservation purposes) onshore South Australia is 213 527 km2 (82 443 sq. miles). Approximately 78% of onshore protected areas allow access for mineral and petroleum exploration and development. The areas are administered under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972, Crown Lands Act 1929 and Wilderness Protection Act 1992.

There are seven categories of Reserves:

Reserve type

No. of reserves

Total area (ha)

Area available for mining (%)
Conservation park

226

5 856 212

33
Conservation reserve

50

253 945

100
Game reserve

10

25 794

0
National park

20

4 541 781

86
Recreation park

14

3 172

10
Regional reserve

7

10 601 706

100
Wilderness protection area

5

70 069

0
Total

332

21 352 679

78

Summary of protected areas onshore South Australia. Courtesy of the Reserve Planning Unit, DEH, 31.7.03.

Protected areas also occur offshore (e.g. the Great Australian Bight Marine Park) and are administered under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 and Fisheries Act 1982.

Basically, the legislation is a ‘no-mining Act’, but there are provisions for joint proclamations and Regional Reserves both of which allow access for mineral and petroleum exploration and development.

Proclamation allowing mining rights is a mechanism under section 43(2) of the National Parks and Wildlife Act which provides for the Governor to proclaim conditions whereby rights of entry, prospecting, exploration and mining may be acquired for newly created national parks and conservation parks. This is qualified by section 43(5) which states that such a proclamation cannot be made unless:

  1. it allows for continuing rights vested in a person immediately before commencement of the Act
  2. the proclamation is made simultaneously with the proclamation constituting a reserve.

Mineral exploration and mining activity are possible only with approval of the Minister for Environment and Heritage and in accordance with the management plan for the park. This is also the case for petroleum exploration and production, except where a PEL was in force immediately prior to proclamation of the park. In this case, the proclamation may allow application for a production licence without approval of the Minister.

Recent large conservation and national park additions to the reserve system have all been made under joint proclamations which allow existing rights to continue and future rights to be acquired.