The Lord Howe Island Group was World Heritage listed in 1982 in recognition of its outstanding natural beauty and its exceptional biodiversity. Two thirds of the island is a Permanent Park Preserve. The surrounding waters were declared a Marine Park in 1998.
Lord Howe Island is considered to be an outstanding example of an island ecosystem developed from submarine volcanic activity, having a rare diversity of landscapes, flora and fauna (both marine and terrestrial). The high proportion of endemic species provides a superb illustration of independent evolutionary processes at work.
The island has over 130 species of bird; the sheltering coral reef hosts over 500 species of fish and 90 different corals. The reef is in pristine condition, washed by the cleanest ocean on the planet.
The Lord Howe Island Board and the Islanders themselves go to considerable lengths to preserve their Paradise, with comprehensive recycling programs; a tourist bed limit; and environmental management plans.
In
fact, Lord Howe is one of the ‘cleanest’ places on earth: located 600km from
the nearest large land mass, there is no
air or sea pollution and you’ll find no litter. Neds Beach was declared Australia’s Cleanest Beach in 2004.
See also:
World heritage values PDF file
Australian Dept of Environment overview
Permanent Park Preserve PDF file
