HIMI Marine Habitats Review i

• Main Authors: Conservation Of Marine, Anzac Peak, Heard Isl, L. Meyer, A. Constable, R. Williams
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antarctic; Heard; Heard Island; Indian; Kerguelen; McDonald Islands; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctica; Macquarie Island
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.15.4035; http://www.aad.gov.au/MediaLibrary/asset/MediaItems/ml_376346394097222_HIMI_Conservation_Report.pdf

This report aims to review the status of information in the region of Heard Island and McDonald Islands (HIMI), to determine the future work that may enhance our understanding of the conservation values, and to determine a possible approach to protecting the conservation values of the HIMI region. Heard Island and McDonald Islands form Australia's most remote sovereign territory. They are situated in the south Indian Ocean, about 4100 km southwest from the coast of Western Australia, a similar distance southeast of South Africa and 1700 km north of Antarctica. The closest land is the French territory of les Kerguelen, situated about 380 km to the northwest. Arising from the northern half of the Kerguelen Plateau, Heard Island, McDonald Islands and les Kerguelen form the only exposed peaks of the plateau. The plateau forms one of the largest oceanic ridges, extending 2100 km in a northwesterly direction from continental Antarctica into the Indian Ocean. These islands have severe climates. They lie directly in the path of a convergence zone where cold-temperate oceans meet polar waters. Heard Island is directly in the path of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and is in close proximity to, and south of, the Polar Front. Australia has two exclusive economic zones (EEZ) distant from the continental EEZ in temperate and sub-Antarctic waters: around Macquarie Island (MI) to the southeast of Australia and around Heard Island and McDonald Islands to the southwest (HIMI). These regions are different in their morphology and proximity to the Polar Front, MI to the north and HIMI to the south. They are considered different in the recent Interim Marine and Coastal Regionalisation for Australia (IMCRA) in which they are known as the Macquarie Province and Kerguelen Province respective.