The Pages Conservation Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia which is associated with the island group known as The Pages located in Backstairs Passage about 25 kilometres (16 miles) south-east of Cape Jervis and about 98 kilometres (61 miles) south south-west of the state capital of Adelaide.[2][5]
The conservation park consists of the island group and adjoining waters.[2] The islands first acquired protected area status as a fauna conservation reserve proclaimed under the Crown Lands Act 1929.[4][3] On 27 April 1972, the fauna conservation reserve was reconstituted as The Pages Conservation Park under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972.[6] On 24 December 1997, the boundary of the conservation park was extended 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) seawards in order to control berleying associated with both shark cage diving and shark fishing.[7][8] As of 2018, it covered an area of 70.23 square kilometres (27.12 sq mi).[4]
In 1980, the conservation park was described as follows:[9]
Two small islands and a reef which have some aesthetic significance. The islands support a large breeding colony of Australian sea lions and have long been recognised as an important area for seabirds…
Two small rocky islands and a reef in Backstairs Passage. The islands are predominantly rock though their relatively flat tops support a low open shrubland of Senecio lautus with widely scattered Atriplex sp and Bulbinopsis bulbosa in small pockets of soil. Steeper slopes support a mat of Disphyma clavellatum and occasional Enchylaena tomentosa…
The isolation, absence of introduced species and only occasional human visits, has ensured habitat preservation.