Minister for the Environment, the Hon Sussan Ley MP
South Australia Minister for the Environment and Water, the Hon David Speirs MP
The Morrison Government has nominated South Australia's Flinders Ranges for tentative listing as a UNESCO world heritage site.
Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley said the nomination had been submitted on behalf of the South Australian Government and the area's Traditional Owners, the Adnyamathanha People, who have been custodians of the land for tens of thousands of years.
"The Flinders Ranges is known for its outstanding aesthetic beauty, diverse landscapes and rich biodiversity, and exceptional scientific values," Minster Ley said.
"It is also considered to be a window into a major stage in Earth's history known as the 'dawn of animal life', a geological record of wildly fluctuating climate conditions and environments over a period of 350 million years.
"The nomination follows extensive consultation with the Traditional Owners, local communities, scientific experts and other stakeholders with an interest in preserving the rich array of cultural sites and historical features scattered across the ranges.
"This nomination recognises the significance of the region and, if accepted, will place the ranges among our nation's most treasured locations such as the Great Barrier Reef, the Greater Blue Mountains and Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park."
Minister for Environment and Water David Speirs said he is proud of the region's recognition on a world scale.
"Achieving World Heritage status requires a place to be aligned with very specific criteria, and strong evidence that the values being nominated are absolutely unique and not replicated anywhere else in the world," Minister Speirs said.
"This tentative listing provides us with an opportunity to celebrate and share this very unique part of South Australia on a global scale.
"It also provides significant recognition for our national parks, with Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park, Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges National Park and Ediacara Conservation Park, as well as the land acquired on Nilpena Station which will create the Nilpena Ediacara National Park, at the centre of the South Australian Government's pursuit of World Heritage listing for the Flinders Ranges."
Tentative listing is the first step to World Heritage nomination process, with sites needing to spend at least 12 months on the Tentative list before being further considered. To be included on the UNESCO list, sites must be of outstanding universal value and meet at least 1 of 10 selection criteria.
The nomination will be independently evaluated by two advisory bodies mandated by the World Heritage Convention, before a final decision is made.
