Lord Howe Marine Park is situated at the southernmost limit of coral reef formation, about 550 kilometres offshore of New South Wales and adjacent to the state government Lord Howe Island Marine Park and World Heritage Area. The convergence of tropical and temperate water masses in this Marine Park provide increased nutrients that enhance productivity, and attract an incredibly diverse array of marine life, including warm and cold water corals, turtles, whales and an abundance of tropical and temperate fish species that are at the northern or southern limit of their range.
Video
This video highlights the bathymetry and habitats of the shelf within the Lord Howe Marine Park. Key features include a drowned reef that encircles the island and intervening area of sediment-covered basins, all of which host a diverse array of marine life.
Research
These short articles highlight the findings from ongoing scientific research within the Lord Howe Marine Park, including exciting new discoveries and ideas for future projects.
Small and/or camouflaged fish species hidden on or near the reef surface are commonly referred to as ‘cryptic’ or ‘cryptobenthic’ fishes. These species are characteristically difficult to see but are diverse and abundant throughout Australian Marine Parks and may play an important role in supporting the larger predatory fish species protected within park boundaries.
Parks Australia manage 60 Australian Marine Parks, many of which include shallow reefs. These reef habitats are hugely diverse, and include tropical reefs dominated by hard corals; current-swept offshore bommies covered in sea whips, sea fans and soft corals; temperate rocky reefs with sea urchin barrens or low lying colourful seaweeds; and deeper rocky reefs with sessile invertebrates and large black coral trees.
As ocean temperatures continue to rise, a pressing challenge is to increase our understanding of the spatial distribution and characteristics of the critical habitats that support mesophotic reefs and associated demersal fish assemblages. Lord Howe Marine Park in the Tasman Sea protects the southern-most mesophotic coral reefs in the world, including Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs.
Natural values
Our marine parks have a number of different values, including natural, cultural, heritage and socio-economic values. The natural values of our marine parks refer to the habitats, species and ecological communities within them, and the processes that support their connectivity, productivity and function. Below are the key datasets that help inform park managers about the natural values that exist within our network of Australian Marine Parks. For more information on other park values refer to the relevant park Management Plans on the Parks Australia website.
See which wetlands of international significance are protected by Australian Marine Parks.
Maps
The information provided by these datasets was integral in the planning and development of our national network of marine parks. Learn in detail about how scientists and marine park planners used these important marine features together to design Australia's network of marine parks, or explore the datasets for the Lord Howe Marine Park individually through the links below.
See which areas of Australia's marine environments have been World Heritage listed.
Latest maps
Since the initial planning of the Australian Marine Parks Network in 2012, new mapping data has emerged that allows us to see in finer detail the features that exist within our parks. These datasets help marine managers to understand more about what's under the surface, where there are overlaying management or protection regimes, and/or where pressures on the marine environment may be increasing.
Find out where the seafloor has been mapped with sonar across the Marine Parks.
Scientific papers
The following publications contain information relevant to the Lord Howe marine park and adjacent waters. Click on the links to access to the publications.
Linklater, M, Carroll, A. G, Hamylton, S. M, Jordan, A. R, Brooke, B. P, Nichol, S. L and Woodroffe, C. D. (2016).
High coral cover on a mesophotic, subtropical island platform at the limits of coral reef growth.
Linklater, M. (2016).
Past and present coral distribution at the latitudinal limit of reef development, southwest Pacific Ocean.
Linklater, M, Brooke, B. P, Hamylton, S. M, Nichol, S. L and Woodroffe, C. D. (2015).
Submerged fossil reefs discovered beyond the limit of modern reef growth in the Pacific Ocean.
Hoey, A. S, Pratchett, M. S, Johansen, J and Hoey, J. (2014).
2014 Marine ecological survey of Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs, Lord Howe Commonwealth Marine Reserve.
Anderson, K, Pratchett, M and Baird, A. (2012).
Summer growth rates of corals at Lord Howe Island, Australia.
Jovanovic, B, Braganza, K, Collins, D and Jones, D. (2012).
Climate variations and change evident in high-quality climate data for Australia's Antarctic and remote island weather stations.
van der Meer, M. H, Hobbs, J. P. A, Jones, G. P and Van Herwerden, L. (2012).
Genetic connectivity among and self-replenishment within island populations of a restricted range subtropical reef fish.
Kennedy, D. M, Brooke, B. P, Woodroffe, C. D, Jones, B. G, Waikari, C and Nichol, S. (2011).
The geomorphology of the flanks of the Lord Howe Island volcano, Tasman Sea, Australia.
Noreen, A. M. (2010).
Ecological and evolutionary connectivity of reef corals in subtropical eastern Australia: implications for the persistence of high-latitude coral populations.
NSW, Marine Parks Authority (2010).
Lord Howe Island Marine Park Summary of Research and Monitoring.
Berkelmans, R. R. (2009).
Interim report for 2008/09: installation and management of a system of Sea Temperature Data Loggers at Tropical and Sub-tropical Commonweath MPA's.
Patterson, H. M and Swearer, S. E. (2008).
Origin of yellowtail kingfish, Seriola lalandi, from Lord Howe Island, Australia, inferred from otolith chemistry.
Van Herwerden, L, Almojil, D and Choat, H. (2008).
Population genetic structure of Australian Galapagos reef sharks Carcharhinus galapagensis at Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs Marine National Nature Reserve and Lord Howe Island Marine Park.
Appleyard, S and Ward, R. (2007).
Genetic connectedness between black cod (E. daemelii) collections along the NSW coast and the Elizabeth & Middleton Reefs Reserve: Final Report to the Department of Environment and Water Resources, June 2007.
Brewer, D, Flynn, A, Skewes, T, Corfield, J, Pearson, B, Alowa, J and Young, J. (2007).
Ecosystems of the East Marine Region.
Thalmann, S, Baker, G. B, Hindell, M, Double, M. C and Gales, R. (2007).
Using biometric measurements to determine gender of Flesh-footed Shearwaters, and their application as a tool in long-line by-catch management and ecological field studies.
Choat, J. H, Van Herwerden, L, Robbins, W. D, Hobbs, J. P and Ayling, A. M. (2006).
A report on the ecological surveys undertaken at Middleton and Elizabeth Reefs, February 2006.
Dickson, M. E. (2006).
Shore platform development around Lord Howe Island, southwest Pacific.
Parks, Director of National (2006).
Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs Marine National Nature Reserve Management Plan 2006-2013.
Phillips, B, Hale, J and Maliel, M. (2006).
Ecological character of the Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs Marine National Nature Reserve Wetland of International Importance.
Woodroffe, C. D, Kennedy, D. M, Brooke, B. P and Dickson, M. E. (2006).
Geomorphological evolution of Lord Howe Island and carbonate production at the latitudinal limit to reef growth.
Millar, A. J and Freshwater, D. W. (2005).
Morphology and molecular phylogeny of the marine algal order Gelidiales (Rhodophyta) from New South Wales, including Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands.
Woodroffe, C. D, Dickson, M. E, Brooke, B. P and Kennedy, D. M. (2005).
Episodes of reef growth at Lord Howe Island, the southernmost reef in the southwest Pacific.
Oxley, W. G, Ayling, A. M, Cheal, A. J and Osborne, K. (2004).
Marine surveys undertaken in the Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs Marine National Nature Reserve, December 2003.
Speare, P, Cappo, M, Rees, M, Brownlie, J and Oxley, W. (2004).
Deeper water fish and benthic surveys in the Lord Howe Marine Park (Commonwealth Waters): February 2004.
Brooke, B. P, Murray-Wallace, C. V, Woodroffe, C. D and Heijnis, H. (2003).
Quaternary aminostratigraphy of eolianite on Lord Howe Island, southwest Pacific Ocean.
Clark, M, Roberts, C, Williams, A and Last, P. (2003).
Voyage report of a biodiversity survey of seamounts and slopes of the Norfolk Ridge and Lord Howe Rise (NORFANZ), May-June 2003.
Kennedy, D. M. (2003).
Surface lagoonal sediments on Lord Howe Island, Tasman Sea.
Williams, A, Althaus, F and Gowlett-Holmes, K. (2003).
Biodiversity survey of seamounts & slopes of the Norfolk Ridge and Lord Howe Rise.
Environment, Department of the (2002).
Lord Howe Island Marine Park (Commonwealth Waters) Management Plan.
Kennedy, D. M, Woodroffe, C. D, Jones, B. G, Dickson, M. E and Phipps, C. V. G. (2002).
Carbonate sedimentation on subtropical shelves around Lord Howe Island and Balls Pyramid, southwest Pacific.
Hill, P. J, Symonds, P. A and Rollet, N. (2001).
Seafloor Mapping of the South-east Marine Region and Adjacent Waters-AUSTREA Final Report: Lord Howe Island, South-east Australian Margin (includes Tasmania and South Tasman Rise) and Central Great Australian Bight..
Koslow, J. A. (1997).
Seamounts and the ecology of deep-sea fisheries: The firm-bodied fishes that feed around seamounts are biologically distinct from their deepwater neighbors--and may be especially vulnerable to overfishing.
Harriott, V. J., Harrison, P. L. and Banks, S. A. (1995).
The coral communities of Lord Howe Island.
Millar, A. J. K and Kraft, G. T. (1994).
Catalogue of marine benthic green algae (Chlorophyta) of New South Wales, including Lord Howe Island, south-western Pacific.
Millar, A. J. K and Kraft, G. T. (1994).
Catalogue of marine brown algae (Phaeophyta) of New South Wales, including Lord Howe Island, south-western Pacific.
Francis, M. P and Randall, J. E. (1993).
Further additions to the fish faunas of Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands, southwest Pacific Ocean.
Millar, A. J. K and Kraft, G. T. (1993).
Catalogue of marine and freshwater red algae (Rhodophyta) of New South Wales, including Lord Howe Island, south-western Pacific.
Hutchings, P. A. (1988).
Voyage to Elizabeth & Middleton Reefs.
Randall, J. E and Kuiter, R. H. (1982).
Three new labrid fishes of the genus Coris from the Western Pacific.
McDougall, I, Embleton, B. J. J and Stone, D. B. (1981).
Origin and evolution of Lord Howe Island, southwest Pacific Ocean.
Veron, J. E. N and Done, T. J. (1979).
Corals and coral communities of Lord Howe Island.
Slater, R. A and Phipps, C. V. (1977).
A preliminary report on the coral reefs of Lord Howe Island and Elizabeth Reef, Australia. In Proceedings of the 3rd International Coral Reef Symposium.
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