Nilpena Ediacara National Park will expand by 26,000ha after the South Australian Government acquired the neighbouring Nilpena Station.
Located on the western fringes of the Flinders Ranges, the park will now boast a total area of 86,000ha, helping boost the national target to protect and conserve 30 per cent of Australia's landmass by 2030.
The park, which officially opened in April 2023, is treasured for its collection of fossils containing Earth's earliest complex animal life.
The fossil bed known as 'Alice's Restaurant Bed' showcases multicellular animal life that lived 542 to 560 million years ago.
Nilpena is also known to support native species such as dunnarts, quolls, snakes and lizards. The newly acquired land will facilitate conservation work to protect the endangered thick-billed grasswren and the possible re-introduction of the bilby to the region.
The Nilpena Station land has been carefully managed by its previous owners and now under NPWS management its biodiversity values will be protected in perpetuity through the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972.
Converting this area to public land enables the Adnyamathanha, the traditional owners, ongoing access so that they can engage in traditional cultural activities.
The expansion of Nilpena is a continuation of efforts to see the Flinders Ranges granted World Heritage listing.
Visitors to Nilpena Ediacara National Park can book guided tours of the Ediacaran fossil fields and the restored Blacksmith Shop where visitors are immersed in an audio-visual display that brings Earth’s earliest complex animal life back to life. Pre-booking at least a week in advance is recommended as the tours are very popular.
For more information about the Nilpena Ediacara National Park, please click here (external site).
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