Mount Chappell Island and Badger Island Indigenous Protected Areas - fact sheet
Australian Government Department of the Environment and Water Resources,
February 2007
© Commonwealth of Australia
PDF file
Extract from the fact sheet
Found in the Bass Strait off the north-eastern tip of Tasmania, Mount Chappell Island and Badger Island form part of the Furneaux Group of islands.
The islands have long been regarded by Aboriginal people as an important part of the seasonal food-gathering cycle, and the Tasmanian Government handed them back to the Aboriginal community in 1995. The two small islands are now managed as Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs) by the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre.
The 350 hectares (3.5 square kilometres) of Chappell Island, as it is commonly known, are dominated by the sugarloaf-shaped Mount Chappell which rises 198 metres above narrow coastal plains. Low-growing shrublands and grasslands originally covered the island, with few large trees. In contrast, nearby Badger Island (1,244 hectares) was once well-wooded. Only small areas of the original species now remain, including stands of sheoak, coastal teatree, and swamp paperbark.
IPA projects on both islands focus on feral animal control, cultural heritage management, and the development of jetties and shelters to allow easier access for work teams, land managers, and visits by the Traditional Owners. With Tasmania Parks and Wildlife assistance, the local community also hope to increase the mutton bird rookeries on Chappell Island.
The declaration of Mount Chappell and Badger Island IPAs in September 2000 was made under World Conservation Union (IUCN) Category V - Protected Landscape/Seascape: Protected Area managed mainly for landscape/seascape conservation and recreation.
Before you download
Most publications are downloadable as PDF files. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view PDF files.
If you are unable to access a publication, please contact us to organise a suitable alternative format.
Key
Links to an another web site
Opens a pop-up window