Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2016C01080:clause:1_2:p3
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2016C01080
Segment Type: clause
Provision Reference: sch 1 cl 2 (pt 3/4)
Character Range: 124087–127065

seals (Leptonychotes weddelli) (ASPA No. 137, north‑west White Island, McMurdo Sound), but that site was designated because the small breeding group of seals in that locality is highly unusual; in contrast, inclusion here is as a representative example similar to breeding sites throughout the region.
  In addition to the outstanding biological values, a diversity of geomorphic features is present, including a series of ice‑cored moraines incorporating marine deposits, raised beaches, patterned ground, a cuspate foreland, and fossil penguin colonies. The cuspate foreland at Edmonson Point is a rare feature in Victoria Land, and is one of the best examples of its kind. It is unusual in that it is not occupied by a breeding colony of penguins, as is the case at Cape Hallett and Cape Adare. The glacial moraines that incorporate marine deposits, including seal bones and shells of the bivalves Laternula elliptica and Adamussium colbecki, are particularly valuable for dating regional glacier fluctuations. Sedimentary sequences in the north‑west of Edmonson Point contain fossils from former penguin colonies. These are useful for dating the persistence of bird breeding at the site, which contributes to reconstructions of Holocene glacial phases and palaeo‑climate.
  The wide representation and the quality of phenomena at Edmonson Point have attracted interest from a variety of disciplines, and research has been carried out at the site for more than 20 years. Over this period, substantial scientific databases have been established, which adds to the value of Edmonson Point for current, ongoing and future research. It is important that pressures from human activities in the Area are managed so that the investments made in these long‑term data sets are not inadvertently compromised. These factors also make the site of exceptional scientific value for multi‑disciplinary studies.
  Given the duration and range of past activities, Edmonson Point cannot be considered pristine. Some environmental impacts have been observed, such as occasional damage to soils and moss communities by trampling, dispersal of materials from scientific equipment by wind, and alteration of habitat by construction of facilities. In contrast, the ice‑free area at Colline Ippolito (Ippolito Hills) (1.67 km²) approximately 1.5 km to the north‑west, has received relatively little visitation and human disturbance at this site is believed to be minimal. As such, Colline Ippolito is considered particularly valuable as a potential reference area for comparative studies to the main Edmonson Point, and it is important that this potential scientific value is maintained. While the precise effects of scientific research and human presence at both sites are uncertain, because detailed studies on human impact have not yet been undertaken, contaminants in the local marine ecosystem remain very low and human impacts on the ecosystem as a whole, particularly at Colline Ippolito, are