| Gum Lagoon Conservation Park | |
|---|---|
IUCN category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources)[1] | |
 The conservation park has a "significant Malleefowl population."[2] | |
  Gum Lagoon Conservation Park | |
| Location | South Australia |
| Nearest city | Keith |
| Coordinates | 36°16′04″S140°04′24″E / 36.26778°S 140.07333°E /-36.26778; 140.07333 |
| Area | 89.06 km2 (34.39 sq mi)[3] |
| Established | 20 August 1970 (1970-08-20)[3] |
| Governing body | Department for Environment and Water |
Gum Lagoon Conservation Park (formerly the Gum Lagoon National Park) is an 8765 haprotected area about 40 km south-west ofKeith in theLimestone Coast region ofSouth Australia. It lies about 20 km inland from the southern end of theCoorong. It contains an isolated block of mallee woodland important formalleefowl conservation.
Some 2700 ha formed the core of the reserve when it was originally proclaimed as Gum Lagoon National Park in August 1970. It became the Gum Lagoon Conservation Park in 1972 upon the proclamation of theNational Parks and Wildlife Act 1972. It gradually expanded in area through subsequent ad hoc and opportunistic land acquisitions.[4]
The conservation park is located on land in the gazetted localities ofLaffer,Petherick andTilley Swamp.[5]
It contains ranges ofcalcarenitedunes and interdunal flats, with slow-moving surface water drainage systems and blocks of remnant vegetation. The vegetation includes tea-treescrub, wetheathland andmallee woodland. The main feature of the conservation park is the Duck Island Watercourse which runs along a wide interdunal flat studded with ephemeral swamps and isolated sandhills.[4] The average annual rainfall is 500 mm.[6]
The conservation park is classified as anIUCN Category VI protected area.[1] In 1980, it was listed on the now-defunctRegister of the National Estate.[7]
The conservation park's vegetation includesBanksia ornata shrubland,Melaleuca brevifolia low shrubland,Eucalyptus arenacea open woodland andEucalyptus diversifolia open mallee, while the wetter areas are characterised byred gum woodland and aquaticherblands.[4]
Eleven floristic communities have been identified, containing 375 indigenous plants, including four which are nationally threatened or rare. Native animal species include 12 mammals, 19 reptiles, five amphibians and 141 birds. Also recorded are 62 exotic plants, eight feral mammals and five introduced birds.[6]
The conservation park has been identified byBirdLife International as anImportant Bird Area, principally because it supports an apparently sustainable population of thevulnerablemalleefowl, with an estimated population of 13–14 nesting mounds. Thebiome-restrictedpurple-gaped honeyeater has also been recorded.[6]
