Kakadu National Park Ramsar site: expansion and merger
In Australia, the Kakadu National Park supports a variety of wetland habitats (e.g. tropical rivers, floodplains and billabongs) and wetland wildlife (e.g. waterbirds, native fish, and crocodiles). The site also supports two Ramsar sites. The first Ramsar site (Stage I & wetland components of Stage III) was designated on 12 December 1980 and extended in 1995. The second Ramsar site was designated on 15 September 1989.
Recently, the Australian Minister for Environment Protection, Heritage and the Arts approved the merger of these two sites into a single 'Kakadu National Park Ramsar site', and to extend the boundary by approximately 600,000 hectares.
Further information on this site merger can be found on the website of the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts at www.environment.gov.au/water/topics/wetlands/about/hot-topics.html.
The process of updating the Ramsar Information Sheet for Kakadu National Park (Stage I & wetland components of Stage III) is underway to reflect the merger and to formally rename the site as the Kakadu National Park Ramsar site.
A virtual tour is accessible through here: www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/wetlands/ramsardetails.pl?refcode=2