Bool Lagoon Game Reserve

Bool Lagoon Game Reserve is a protected area located in the Limestone Coast region of South Australia, about 24 kilometres (15 miles) south of the town of Naracoorte.^[2]

Bool Lagoon Game Reserve South Australia
IUCN category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources)[1]
Bool Lagoon. The red plant is samphire.
Bool Lagoon Game Reserve
Nearest town or city	Naracoorte[2]
Coordinates	37°07′S 140°41′E
Established	8 June 1967[3][4]
Area	31.03 km2 (12.0 sq mi)[5]
Managing authorities	Department for Environment and Water
Website	Bool Lagoon Game Reserve
Footnotes
Ramsar Wetland
Official name	Bool and Hacks Lagoons
Designated	1 November 1985
Reference no.	322[6]
See also	Protected areas of South Australia

History

The game reserve began as land in sections 223 and 224 of the cadastral unit of the Hundred of Robertson which acquired protected area status on 8 June 1967 simultaneously as a game reserve declared under the Fauna Conservation Act, 1964-1965 and as a Fauna Conservation Reserve under the Crown Lands Act, 1929-1967 in association with land in section 249.^[3][4] On 17 February 1972, section 356 was added to the game reserve.^[7] On 27 April 1972, land in sections 223 and 224 and 356 was reconstituted as the Bool Lagoon Game Reserve under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972.^[8]

In 1980, it was listed on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate.^[9]

In 1985, the area covered by both the game reserve and the Hacks Lagoon Conservation Park was added under the name "Bool and Hacks Lagoons" to the List of Wetlands of International Importance maintained by the Ramsar Convention.^[10]

Ecology

Bool Lagoon provides boardwalks and bird hides.

While Bool Lagoon is officially a game reserve, in dry years it attracts many waterbirds of many species, and is frequently a point of contention between duck hunters and animal rights activists. The adjacent Hacks Lagoon Conservation Park also provides refuge for waterbirds. There are a number of boardwalks and bird hides at both lagoons to facilitate birdwatching. The lagoons are visited by up to 150 species of birds, many having migrated from the Northern Hemisphere. The reserve is classified as an IUCN class VI protected area.^[1]

Another ecological issue is that in the past, hunters used much lead shot. In recent times, even when the lagoon is opened for hunting, only steel shot may be used.

Hydrology

Mosquito Creek flows into Hacks Lagoon, and any overflow flows into Bool Lagoon. Mosquito Creek used to continue out of Hacks Lagoon to spread out on the plains near Naracoorte, but is now blocked and any excess water is directed through a drain from Bool Lagoon to the coast near Beachport.

See also

• Wetlands portal

• Bool (disambiguation)
• Duck hunting in South Australia

References

1. "Terrestrial Protected Areas of South Australia (refer 'DETAIL' tab )". CAPAD 2016. Australian Government, Department of the Environment (DoE). 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
2. "Bool Lagoon Game Reserve and Hacks Lagoon Conservation Park Management and Ramsar Plan" (PDF). Department for Environment and Heritage. 2006. pp. iii, 1, 2, 5 & 9. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
3. Walsh, Frank (8 June 1967). "Fauna Conservation Act, 1964-1965: Hundred of Robertson—game Reserve Declared" (PDF). The South Australian Government Gazette. South Australian government. p. 1746. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
4. Walsh, Frank (8 June 1967). "Crown Lands Act, 1929-1967: Hundred of Robertson—fauna Conservation Reserve Dedicated" (PDF). The South Australian Government Gazette. South Australian government. p. 1746. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
5. "Protected Areas Information System Reserve List" (PDF). Government of South Australia. 9 March 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
6. "Bool and Hacks Lagoons". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
7. Shard, A.J. (17 February 1972). "Fauna Conservation Act, 1964-1965" (PDF). The South Australian Government Gazette. South Australian government. p. 575. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
8. "No. 56 of 1972 (National Parks and Wildlife Act, 1972)". The South Australian Government Gazette. Government of South Australia: 660, 703 & 704. 27 April 1972. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
9. "Bool Lagoon Game Reserve, Naracoorte (sic), SA, Australia - listing on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate (Place ID 8006)". Australian Heritage Database. Australian Government. 21 October 1980.
10. "Bool and Hacks Lagoons". Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention. Retrieved 12 March 2015.

External links

• Bool Lagoon Game Reserve and Hacks Lagoon Conservation Park official webpage
• Bool Lagoon Game Reserve webpage on protected planet