The Riverland Biosphere Reserve, formerly the Bookmark Biosphere Reserve, is a 9000 km2 area of land in eastern South Australia, adjoining the states of New South Wales and Victoria. It is one of 12 biosphere reserves in Australia and is part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, being officially recognized and listed by UNESCO in 1995. It is composed of several mainly contiguous properties that, although having different ownerships and different management purposes, have the joint aim of identifying approaches to ecologically sustainable development in a low-productivity landscape with many shared land-management problems. It is located in the Murray Mallee and the Riverland with the native vegetation predominantly Mallee woodland and shrubland, but also including wetlands and riverine communities along the Murray River. The flood plains of the reserve are recognised as internationally significant wetlands for migratory birds under the Ramsar Convention. The reserve is involved in Australia’s national recovery plan for the endangered Black-eared Miner The reserve forms part of the 12,200 km2 Riverland Mallee Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International for its importance in the conservation of mallee birds and their habitats.
The reserve's many component properties include conservation reserves, forestry and game reserves, national trust land, pastoral leases and private land. The largest of these are:
- Calperum Station
- Chowilla Regional Reserve
- Danggali Conservation Park
- Gluepot Reserve
- Taylorville Station
Famous quotes containing the word reserve:
“Mutual repect implies discretion and reserve even in love itself; it means preserving as much liberty as possible to those whose life we share. We must distrust our instinct of intervention, for the desire to make one’s own will prevail is often disguised under the mask of solicitude.”
—Henri-Frédéric Amiel (1821–1881)