World Heritage

The Lord Howe Island Group was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage property in the same year as the more famous Galapagos Islands, in recognition of the global significance of the island’s beauty and biodiversity.

The Lord Howe Island Group World Heritage Property now includes the main island, offshore islets and Balls Pyramid, totalling about 1455 hectares of land. A further 145,000 hectares of marine environment are included in the World Heritage Area. In 1998 the State Government declared a Marine Park in these waters.

The island’s isolation and its varied landscape of mountains, valleys, hills, lowlands and sea-cliffs have resulted in a diverse array of habitat types supporting many distinctive flora and fauna assemblages. Vegetation ranges from exposed coastal grasses and heath to luxuriant mossy rainforest shrouded in mist.

Today, approximately 75 per cent of the island’s original natural vegetation remains intact and undisturbed. Likewise, its beaches, coral reef and marine environment are pristine.

For more information on Lord Howe’s World Heritage values, click the following links: