Shark Bay

Shark Bay is a large bay on the west coast of Western Australia. It is about  north of Perth. In 1991, the bay, its islands, and the land around it were added to UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites.UNESCO, "Shark Bay, Western Australia"; retrieved 2012-4-23.   

Shark Bay has three important features to protect. It has the largest seagrass beds in the world. These are home to about 10% of the world's dugongs. And at one end of the bay are stromatolites, which are the oldest form of life on the Earth. The protected area covers .

World Heritage Site
The area protected by the World Heritage Site is made up of different areas. About 70% of the site is marine environment protected by national parks and reserves, and includes  of coastline. About 20% was used for farming, but half of this area has been taken over by the government and is now conservation area. About 6% is in national parks and reserves.

Parks and reserves
 Bernier Island
 Dirk Hartog Island National Park
 Dorre Island
 Charlie Island
 Faure Island Sanctuary
 Francois Peron National Park
  Friday Island
 Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve
 Hamelin Pool/East Faure Island High-Low Water Mark
 Koks Island
 Monkey Mia
 Shark Bay Marine Park
 Shell Beach Conservation Park
 Small Islands
 Zuytdorp Nature Reserve

 Related pages 
List of World Heritage Sites in Australia

References 

Other websites

 Shark Bay website

Category:World Heritage Sites in Australia
Category:Geography of Western Australia
Category:Australian National Heritage List