Macquarie Island#Flora and fauna

Frederick Hasselborough, an Australian, discovered the uninhabited island on 11 July 1810, while looking for new sealing grounds.{{cite book |title=The Australian Geographic book of Antarctica |last=Scott |first=Keith |year=1993 |publisher=Australian Geographic |location=Terrey Hills, New South Wales |isbn=978-1-86276-010-3 |page=14}} He claimed Macquarie Island for Britain and annexed it to the colony of New South Wales in 1810. The island was named for Colonel Lachlan Macquarie, Governor of New South Wales from 1810 to 1821. Hasselborough reported a wreck "of ancient design", which has given rise to speculation that the island may have been visited before by Polynesians or others.[http://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/history/stations/macquarie-island Macquarie Island: a brief history — Australian Antarctic Division] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120613095506/http://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/history/stations/macquarie-island |date=13 June 2012}}. Antarctica.gov.au. Retrieved on 16 July 2013. In the same year, Captain Smith described in more detail what is presumably the same wreck and incorrectly speculated that it belonged to French explorer Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse: "several pieces of wreck of a large vessel on this Island, apparently very old and high up in the grass, probably the remains of the ship of the unfortunate De la Perouse".{{cite book |last1=McNab |first1=Robert |title=Murihiku: A History of the South Island of New Zealand and the Islands Adjacent and Lying to the South, from 1642 to 1835 |date=1909 |publisher=Whitcombe and Tombs Limited |location=Wellington |page=176 |url=http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-McNMuri-t1-body-d1-d14.html}}

Between 1810 and 1919, seals and then penguins were hunted for their oil almost to the point of extinction. Sealers' relics include iron try pots, casks, hut ruins, graves and inscriptions. During that time, 144 vessel visits are recorded, 12 of which ended in shipwreck.R.K. Headland, Historical Antarctic sealing industry, Scott Polar Research Institute (Cambridge University), 2018, p. 167. {{ISBN|978-0-901021-26-7}}, p. 167. The conditions on the island and the surrounding seas were considered so harsh that a plan to use it as a penal settlement was rejected.

Richard Siddins and his crew were shipwrecked in Hasselborough Bay on 11 June 1812. Joseph Underwood sent the ship Elizabeth and Mary to the island to rescue the remaining crew. The Russian explorer Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen explored the area for Alexander I of Russia in 1820, and produced the first map of Macquarie Island. Bellingshausen landed on the island on 28 November 1820, defined its geographical position and traded his rum and food for the island's fauna with the sealers.

In 1877, the crew of the schooner Bencleugh was shipwrecked on the island for four months; folklore says they came to believe there was hidden treasure on the island.{{cite book |last=Inches Thomson |first=John Sen |title=Voyages and Wanderings In Far-off Seas and Lands |year=1912 |publisher=Headley Brothers |location=London, England |pages=139–191}} The ship's owner, John Sen Inches Thomson, wrote a book on his sea travels, including his time on the island. The book, written in 1912, was entitled Voyages and Wanderings In Far-off Seas and Lands.

Macquarie Island was made a constituent part of Tasmania on 17 June 1880 through Letters Patent for the Governor of Tasmania.{{cite web |title=Item BB-AU-490 - Letters patent constituting the office of Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Colony of Tasmania and its Dependencies |url=https://sparc.utas.edu.au/index.php/letters-patent-constituting-the-office-of-governor-and-commander-in-chief-of-the-colony-of-tasmania-and-its-dependencies |publisher=University of Tasmania |access-date=3 October 2023 |ref=Letters Patent for Governor of Tasmania 1880}}

In 1890, the Colony of New Zealand wrote to Lord Onslow (the Governor of New Zealand), Philip Fysh (the Premier of Tasmania), and the Lord Knutsford (the Secretary of State for the Colonies) regarding the island, initially requesting permission to annex the island, then requesting its transfer from the Colony of Tasmania, as this would close a loophole in New Zealand's closed sealing season when vessels were poaching on sub-Antarctic islands under the Colony's jurisdiction but claiming they got the seal skins from Macquarie Island.{{cite journal |title=ANNEXATION OF MACQUARIE ISLANDS (PAPERS RELATIVE TO THE). |journal=1890 Session I: Being the 4th Session of the 10th Parliament of New Zealand |date=1890 |volume=1 |issue=A-05 |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/AJHR1890-I.2.1.2.5 |access-date=3 October 2023 |series=Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives |ref=Corro from NZ regarding Macquarie Island transfer (1890)}} On the recommendation of Fysh, the Tasmanian Legislative Council passed a motion on 24 July 1890 requesting the "necessary steps be taken" for Macquarie Island to be transferred to New Zealand.{{cite news |title=EPITOME OF NEWS |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/12700485 |access-date=3 October 2023 |work=The Mercury |date=25 July 1890 |ref=Legislative Council requests transfer}} Fysh was in no hurry to complete this process,{{cite news |title=EPITOME OF NEWS |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/12700931 |access-date=3 October 2023 |date=1 August 1890 |ref=Premier not hurried to transfer}} and the request was only officially transmitted to the Tasmanian Legislative Assembly on 28 August 1890.{{cite news |title=EPITOME OF NEWS |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/12702828 |access-date=3 October 2023 |work=The Mercury |date=29 August 1890 |ref=Council requests received by Assembly}}

When the Legislative Assembly considered the matter on 2 September 1890, the virtue of transferring a dependent island was questioned, and (after several points of order and jokes from members) the assembly deferred consideration until the following day (effectively denying the transfer).{{cite news |title=HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/12703176 |access-date=3 October 2023 |work=The Mercury |date=3 September 1890 |ref=Assembly rejects transfer to New Zealand}} By October 1890, it was certain that Tasmania would not condone the transfer of the island to New Zealand. Sir Harry Atkinson (Premier of New Zealand) expressed his regrets that Tasmania had decided against the transfer, with Fysh noting that all of New Zealand's stated objectives could be achieved under existing Tasmanian legislation and through inter-colonial agreements.{{cite news |title=EPITOME OF NEWS |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/12705360?searchTerm=Parliamentary%20Macquarie%20Island |access-date=3 October 2023 |work=The Mercury |date=8 October 1890 |ref=NZ Premier regret, Tas Premier sees options}} In mid October 1890, The Southland Times was reporting that an explanation was forthcoming from Wellington.{{cite news |title=EPITOME OF NEWS |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/12705793 |access-date=3 October 2023 |work=The Mercury |date=15 October 1890 |ref=Southland Times reports forthcoming explanation}} On 23 October 1890, Fysh formally advised New Zealand of the colonial legislature's refusal to transfer the island, and on 20 November 1890 Knutsford formally advised Onslow that the British government had not consented to any transfer.{{cite journal |title=ANNEXATION OF MACQUARIE ISLANDS (PAPERS RELATIVE TO THE). [In Continuation of Papers A.-5 of 1890.]. |journal=1891 Session II: Being the 2nd Session of the 11th Parliament of New Zealand |date=1891 |volume=2 |issue=A-05 |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/AJHR1891-II.2.1.2.6 |access-date=3 October 2023 |series=Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives |ref=Corro from NZ regarding Macquarie Island transfer (1891)}}

On 20 April 1891, regulations issued by the Tasmanian Commissioner of Fisheries for the protection of seals on Macquarie Island came into effect. This was possible under existing Tasmanian legislation, namely the Fisheries Act 1889. By 26 October 1891, these regulations were amended to expire on 20 July 1894, and to no longer include the forfeiture of a vessel as penalty for the offence.{{cite web |title=The Fisheries Act, 1889: Regulation Under |url=https://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0028/31699/1891pp154.pdf |publisher=Tassmanian Legislative Council |access-date=4 October 2023 |ref=Amended Tas Regs |date=26 October 1891}}

Between 1902 and 1920, the Tasmanian Government leased the island to Joseph Hatch (1837–1928) for his oil industry based on harvesting penguins.{{Cite web |url=http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/fahan_mi_shipwrecks/journals/Sealers/sshatch9.pdf |title=Sinking a Small Fortune: Joseph Hatch and the Oiling Industry |website=Parks and Wildlife Service |publisher=Tasmanian Government |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822201253/http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/fahan_mi_shipwrecks/journals/Sealers/sshatch9.pdf |archive-date=22 August 2017 |url-status=live |access-date=20 March 2018}}

File:PXD 156 Wreck Macquarie Island Hurley (cropped).jpg

Between 1911 and 1914, the island became a base for the Australasian Antarctic Expedition under Sir Douglas Mawson. George Ainsworth operated a meteorological station between 1911 and 1913, followed by Harold Power from 1913 to 1914, and by Arthur Tulloch from 1914 until the station was shut down in 1915.

In 1933, the authorities declared the island a wildlife sanctuary under the Tasmanian Animals and Birds Protection Act 1928 and, in 1972, it was made a State Reserve under the Tasmanian National Parks and Wildlife Act 1970.[http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=626 Parks & Wildlife Service - History of the Reserve] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110314151641/http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=626 |date=14 March 2011}}. Parks.tas.gov.au (24 June 2013). Retrieved 16 July 2013. On 25 May 1948, the Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE) established its expedition headquarters on Macquarie Island. In March 1949, they were visited by the Fifth French Antarctic Expedition on their return trip from Adélie Land where any landing was made impossible due to extensive pack ice that year.{{Cite book|author1=Pierre Dubard |author2=Luc-Marie Bayle |title=Le "Charcot" et la Terre Adélie |language=fr |place=Paris |publisher=Éditions France Empire |year=1951 |pages=127–131}}

The island had status as a biosphere reserve under the Man and the Biosphere Programme from 1977 until its withdrawal from the program in 2011.{{Cite web |url=http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/ecological-sciences/biosphere-reserves/withdrawal-of-biosphere-reserves/ |title=Biosphere reserves withdrawn from the World Network of Biosphere reserves |work=Man and the Biosphere Programme |publisher=UNESCO |access-date=5 November 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161211184110/http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/ecological-sciences/biosphere-reserves/withdrawal-of-biosphere-reserves/ |archive-date=11 December 2016}} On 5 December 1997, Macquarie Island was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a site of major geoconservation significance, being the only mid-ocean ridge on Earth where rocks from the Earth's mantle are being actively exposed above sea-level.{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/629 |title=Macquarie Island |work=World Heritage List |publisher=UNESCO |date=1997 |access-date=8 July 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160621064210/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/629/ |archive-date=21 June 2016}}

On 23 December 2004, an earthquake measuring 8.1 on the moment magnitude scale rocked the island but caused no significant damage.{{Cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200412/s1272000.htm |title=Antarctic expeditioners unscathed by earthquake |work=ABC News |location=Australia |date=24 December 2004 |access-date=5 April 2007 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071223041621/http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200412/s1272000.htm |archive-date=23 December 2007}} Geoscience Australia issued a Tsunami Inundation Advice for Macquarie Island Station.Geoscience Australia Professional Opinion. January 2014 The paper indicated that a tsunami caused by a local earthquake could occur with no warning, and could inundate the isthmus and its existing station. Such a tsunami would likely affect other parts of the coastline and field huts located close to the shore. According to several papers,{{which|date=March 2025}} an earthquake capable of causing a tsunami of that significance is a high risk.

File:MacquarieIsland11.JPG

Macquarie Island is about {{cvt|34|km}} long and {{cvt|5|km|mi|0}} wide, with an area of {{cvt|128|km2|sqmi|0}}. The island consists of plateaus at north and south ends, each of {{cvt|150|-|200|m|ft}} elevation, joined by a low, narrow isthmus. The high points include Mount Elder on the northeast coastal ridge at {{cvt|385|m|ft}}, and Mounts Hamilton and Fletcher in the south at {{cvt|410|m|ft|0}}. The island is almost equidistant between the island of Tasmania and the Antarctic continent's Anderson Peninsula, about {{cvt|1500|km|mi nmi}} from either point. In addition, Macquarie Island is about {{cvt|630|km|mi nmi}} southwest of Auckland Island, and {{cvt|1300|km|mi nmi}} north of the Balleny Islands.

Near Macquarie Island are two small groups of minor islands: the Judge and Clerk Islets ({{Coord|54|21|S|159|01|E|type:isle|name=Judge and Clerk Islets}}), {{cvt|14|km|mi nmi|0}} to the north, {{cvt|0.2|km2|acre}} in area, and the Bishop and Clerk Islets ({{Coord|55|03|S|158|46|E|type:isle|name=Bishop and Clerk Islets}}), {{cvt|34|km|mi nmi}} to the south, {{cvt|0.6|km2|acre}} in area. Like Macquarie Island, both groups are part of the state of Tasmania. The Bishop and Clerk Islets mark the southernmost point of Australia (excluding the Australian Antarctic Territory).

In the 19th century a phantom island named "Emerald Island" was believed to lie south of Macquarie Island.

File:Macquarie Island geology.png]]

{{Further|Macquarie fault zone}}The island is located on the tectonic plate boundary between the Australian plate to the northwest and the Pacific plate to the southeast. It is part of the Macquarie Ridge, a {{convert|1600|km|abbr=on}} long fault zone in the oceanic crust, running southwestwards from New Zealand along the plate boundary. The Macquarie Ridge has formed along the plate boundary by movement of the two plates towards each other, leading to uplift along the boundary. However, in earlier geologic time the two plates had been moving apart, allowing lava from the earth's mantle to rise to the seafloor, forming basalt. The subsequent reversal of the movement of the plates has uplifted the basaltic material from the seafloor along the line of the Macquarie Ridge.

The Macquarie ridge lies entirely on the seafloor except for where it rises above sea level at Macquarie Island. The island emerged above sea level in recent geologic time - the highest points on the island may have emerged above the sea as recently as 300,000 years ago or less. The estimates vary based on the assumed rate of uplift and the changes in sea level over time. The island is an example of an ophiolite - a section of Earth's oceanic crust and the underlying upper mantle that has been uplifted and exposed. The process has been described as "the island itself seems to have been simply squeezed toward the surface like toothpaste from a tube". The unique exposures include excellent examples of pillow basalts without any hint of continental crust contamination and other extrusive rocks.[https://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/national-location-information/landforms/islands Geoscience Australia: Macquarie Island] The geology of the island has been described as revealing "the best exposed and most isolated pieces of the ocean floor in the world". The unique geological exposures were one of the two criteria cited when the island was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

The island lies close to the edge of the submerged continent of Zealandia, but is not regarded as a part of it, because the Macquarie Ridge is oceanic crust rather than continental crust.

Macquarie Island's climate is moderated by the sea, and all months have an average temperature above freezing; although snow is common between June and October, and may even occur in summer. Due to its cold summers, the island has a tundra climate (ET) under the Köppen climate classification.

Average daily maximum temperatures range from {{cvt|4.9|°C|°F|lk=on}} in July to {{cvt|8.8|°C|°F}} in January. Precipitation occurs fairly evenly throughout the year and averages {{cvt|1002.1|mm|in}} annually. Macquarie Island is one of the cloudiest places on Earth with an annual average of only 862 hours of sunshine (similar to Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands). Annually, there are an average of 289.4 cloudy days and just 3.5 clear days.{{cite web |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_300004_All.shtml |title=Climate statistics for Macquarie Island |publisher=Bureau of Meteorology |access-date=10 November 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923230758/http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_300004_All.shtml |archive-date=23 September 2015}}

There are 316.7 precipitation days annually, including 55.7 snowy days (being equal to Charlotte Pass on this metric). This is a considerably lower figure than at Heard Island due to its longitude, which receives 96.8 snowy days at only 53 degrees south.{{cite web |title=Annual snow days sorted in descending order of average occurrence |url=http://www.australianweathernews.com/snow/Snow%20days%20descending.htm |website=Australian Weather News |access-date=2020-09-10}}

{{Weather box|location=Macquarie Island (1948–2022); 6 m AMSL; 54.50° S, 158.94° E

|metric first=yes

|single line=yes

|precipitation colour=green

|Jan record high C=13.6

|Feb record high C=17.0

|Mar record high C=12.6

|Apr record high C=12.2

|May record high C=10.0

|Jun record high C=10.6

|Jul record high C=8.3

|Aug record high C=8.5

|Sep record high C=9.5

|Oct record high C=10.3

|Nov record high C=11.6

|Dec record high C=14.4

|year record high C=

|Jan high C=8.8

|Feb high C=8.7

|Mar high C=8.0

|Apr high C=7.0

|May high C=5.9

|Jun high C=5.0

|Jul high C=4.9

|Aug high C=5.1

|Sep high C=5.4

|Oct high C=5.8

|Nov high C=6.5

|Dec high C=7.9

|year high C=

|Jan mean C=7.1

|Feb mean C=7.0

|Mar mean C=6.4

|Apr mean C=5.4

|May mean C=4.2

|Jun mean C=3.3

|Jul mean C=3.3

|Aug mean C=3.4

|Sep mean C=3.5

|Oct mean C=3.9

|Nov mean C=4.6

|Dec mean C=6.1

|year mean C=4.9

|Jan low C=5.3

|Feb low C=5.3

|Mar low C=4.7

|Apr low C=3.7

|May low C=2.5

|Jun low C=1.5

|Jul low C=1.6

|Aug low C=1.6

|Sep low C=1.5

|Oct low C=2.0

|Nov low C=2.7

|Dec low C=4.3

|year low C=

|Jan record low C=0.6

|Feb record low C=-0.6

|Mar record low C=-2.3

|Apr record low C=-4.5

|May record low C=-6.8

|Jun record low C=-7.0

|Jul record low C=-9.4

|Aug record low C=-8.9

|Sep record low C=-8.7

|Oct record low C=-6.0

|Nov record low C=-3.9

|Dec record low C=-1.7

|year record low C=

|Jan precipitation mm=89.0

|Feb precipitation mm=86.2

|Mar precipitation mm=101.0

|Apr precipitation mm=94.3

|May precipitation mm=87.4

|Jun precipitation mm=79.3

|Jul precipitation mm=74.4

|Aug precipitation mm=76.5

|Sep precipitation mm=76.5

|Oct precipitation mm=78.0

|Nov precipitation mm=73.9

|Dec precipitation mm=80.7

|year precipitation mm=1002.1

|Jan precipitation days=25.5

|Feb precipitation days=24.2

|Mar precipitation days=27.1

|Apr precipitation days=27.3

|May precipitation days=28.3

|Jun precipitation days=27.0

|Jul precipitation days=27.2

|Aug precipitation days=27.4

|Sep precipitation days=26.5

|Oct precipitation days=26.2

|Nov precipitation days=25.0

|Dec precipitation days=25.0

|year precipitation days=

|Jan afthumidity=84

|Feb afthumidity=85

|Mar afthumidity=86

|Apr afthumidity=87

|May afthumidity=87

|Jun afthumidity=87

|Jul afthumidity=88

|Aug afthumidity=87

|Sep afthumidity=85

|Oct afthumidity=83

|Nov afthumidity=83

|Dec afthumidity=83

|year afthumidity=

|Jan sun=114.7

|Feb sun=104.5

|Mar sun=86.8

|Apr sun=54.0

|May sun=31.0

|Jun sun=18.0

|Jul sun=24.8

|Aug sun=43.4

|Sep sun=69.0

|Oct sun=99.2

|Nov sun=108.0

|Dec sun=108.5

|source 1=Australian Bureau of Meteorology{{cite web |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/weatherData/av?p_nccObsCode=122&p_display_type=dailyDataFile&p_startYear=&p_c=&p_stn_num=300004 |title=Daily maximum temperature: Macquarie Island |website=Bureau of Meteorology |access-date=2022-10-08}}

|date=February 2012}}

{{See also|Birds of Macquarie Island|Category:Flora of Macquarie Island}}

File:RoyalPenguins4.JPG

The flora has taxonomic affinities with other subantarctic islands, especially those south of New Zealand. Plants rarely grow over {{convert|1|m|abbr=on}} in height, though the tussock-forming grass Poa foliosa can grow up to {{convert|2|m|abbr=on}} tall in sheltered areas. There are over 45 vascular plant species and more than 90 moss species, as well as many liverworts and lichens. Woody plants are absent.

The island has five principal vegetation formations: grassland, herbfield, fen, bog and feldmark. Bog communities include 'featherbed', a deep and spongy peat bog vegetated by grasses and low herbs, with patches of free water.{{cite web |url=http://www.anbg.gov.au/projects/macquarie/macq-report.html |title=Macqauarie Island - a report on a short visit |author1=Croft, J. R. |author2=Richardson, M. M. |access-date=3 August 2010 |publisher=Australian National Botanic Gardens |location=Canberra |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100928234816/http://www.anbg.gov.au/projects/macquarie/macq-report.html |archive-date=28 September 2010}} Endemic flora include the cushion plant Azorella macquariensis, the grass Puccinellia macquariensis, and two orchids – Nematoceras dienemum and Nematoceras sulcatum.{{cite web |url=http://www.apstas.com/sgaptas-treas3.htm |title=Plants of Macquarie Island |access-date=20 July 2010 |publisher=Australian Plants Society |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707154613/http://www.apstas.com/sgaptas-treas3.htm |archive-date=7 July 2011}}

Mammals found on the island include subantarctic fur seals, Antarctic fur seals, New Zealand fur seals and southern elephant seals – over 80,000 individuals of this species. Diversities and distributions of cetaceans are less known; southern right whales{{Cite web |url=http://www.antarctica.gov.au/living-and-working/stations/macquarie-island/this-week-at-macquarie-island/2013/8-november-2013/2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160812142332/http://www.antarctica.gov.au/living-and-working/stations/macquarie-island/this-week-at-macquarie-island/2013/8-november-2013/2 |url-status=dead |title=Macca Gallery |archive-date=12 August 2016 |website=www.antarctica.gov.au}} and orcas are more common followed by other migratory baleen and toothed whales, especially sperm and beaked whales, which prefer deep waters.Hoyt E., 2011, [https://books.google.com/books?id=QiEK_7D0e08C&dq=macquarie+island+southern+right+whale&pg=PA377 Marine Protected Areas for Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises], p. 377, Earthscan, {{ISBN|9781844077625}}Selkirk P., Seppelt R., Selkirk D., 1990, Subantarctic Macquarie Island - Environment and Biology (Studies in Polar Research), "Appendix 11: Marine Mammals of Macquarie Island" p. 275, Cambridge University Press, {{ISBN|9780521266338}} So-called "upland seals" once found on Antipodes Islands and Macquarie Island have been claimed by some researchers as a distinct subspecies of fur seals with thicker furs, although it is unclear whether these seals were genetically distinct.{{cite journal |doi=10.1080/03014223.1994.9517473 |volume=24 |issue=3 |title="The upland seal" of the Antipodes and Macquarie Islands: A historian's perspective |year=1994 |journal=Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand |pages=289–295 |last1=Richards |first1=Rhys|doi-access=free |bibcode=1994JRSNZ..24..289R }}

Royal penguins and Macquarie shags are endemic breeders, while king penguins, southern rockhopper penguins and gentoo penguins also breed here in large numbers. The island has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area because it supports about 3.5 million breeding seabirds of 13 species.BirdLife International. (2011). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Macquarie Island. [http://www.birdlife.org] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990423004505/http://www.birdlife.org/|date=23 April 1999}} accessed 24 December 2011.

The Tasmanian Government declared Macquarie Island as a wildlife sanctuary in 1933. The status was changed to a conservation area in 1971, and then in 1972 it was re-designated as a state reserve known as the Macquarie Island Wildlife Reserve. In 1977 the island was declared a Biosphere Reserve under the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme, and it was also listed on the Australia Register of the National Estate. In 1978, the area of the state reserve was extended to the mean low-water mark including the offshore islets, and it was formally named as the Macquarie Island Nature Reserve. Access to the reserve was restricted from 1979 onwards, requiring a permit for all those seeking access to the reserve.{{Sfn|Parks and Wildlife Service|2006|p=2-3}}

In December 1997, Macquarie Island was listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site, including the reserve and the surrounding waters out to 12 nautical miles. The Macquarie Island Marine Park was established in 1999, and in 2000, the Macquarie Island Nature Reserve was extended in 2000 to include the area out to 3 nautical miles from the island and outlying islets.{{Sfn|Parks and Wildlife Service|2006|p=2-3}}

Ecotourism cruise vessels visit the island, but the number of visitors has been limited to 2,000 per annum.{{Cite web |last=Gibson |first=Jano |date=6 January 2025 |title=TikToks are increasing the popularity of tourism in Antarctica - and the risks |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/538250/tiktoks-are-increasing-the-popularity-of-tourism-in-antarctica-and-the-risks |access-date=3 May 2025 |website=RNZ |language=en-nz}}

The island ecology was affected by the onset of European visits in 1810. The island's fur seals, elephant seals and penguins were killed for fur and blubber. Rats and mice that were inadvertently introduced from the ships prospered due to lack of predators. Cats were subsequently introduced deliberately to keep the rats and mice from eating human food stores. In about 1870, rabbits and a species of New Zealand rail (wekas) were left on the island by sealers to breed for food.{{cite web |url=http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/?base=12997#History |title=Macquarie Island Pest Eradication Project |last=Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania |date=14 July 2015 |access-date=28 February 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316005850/http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/?base=12997#History |archive-date=16 March 2017}} This caused huge damage to the local wildlife, including the extinction of the Macquarie Island rail (Gallirallus macquariensis), the Macquarie parakeet (Cyanoramphus erythrotis), and an as-yet-undescribed species of teal. By the 1970s, 130,000 rabbits were causing tremendous damage to vegetation.[https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/jan/13/macquarie-cats-conservation Macquarie Island faces 'ecosystem meltdown' after conservation efforts backfire] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202004522/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/jan/13/macquarie-cats-conservation |date=2 February 2017}}. The Guardian. accessed on 12 January 2009.

The feral cats introduced to the island had a devastating effect on the native seabird population, with an estimated annual loss of 60,000 seabirds. From 1985, efforts were undertaken to remove the cats. In June 2000, the last of the nearly 2,500 cats were culled in an effort to save the seabirds.{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1540215/Cull-upsets-islands-ecological-balance.html |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |title=Cull upsets island's ecological balance |first=Nick |last=Squires |date=22 January 2007 |access-date=11 December 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171225223545/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1540215/Cull-upsets-islands-ecological-balance.html |archive-date=25 December 2017}} Seabird populations responded rapidly,{{cite journal |last1=Brothers |first1=N. |last2=Bone |first2=C. |year=2008 |title=The response of burrow-nesting petrels and other vulnerable bird species to vertebrate pest management and climate change on sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island |journal=Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania |volume=142 |pages=123–148 |doi=10.26749/rstpp.142.1.123 |doi-access=free}} but rats and rabbits population increased after the cats were culled, and continued to cause widespread environmental damage.

The rabbits rapidly multiplied before numbers were reduced to about 10,000 in the early 1980s when myxomatosis was introduced. Rabbit numbers then grew again to over 100,000 by 2006.{{Cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2006-07-15/fears-for-sub-antarctic-island-plagued-by-rabbits/1802206 |title=Fears for sub-antarctic island plagued by rabbits |work=News Online |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=15 July 2006 |access-date=5 April 2007}} Rats and mice feeding on young chicks, and rabbits nibbling on the grass layer, has led to soil erosion and cliff collapses, destroying seabird nests. Large portions of the Macquarie Island bluffs are eroding as a result. In September 2006 a large landslip at Lusitania Bay, on the eastern side of the island, partially destroyed an important penguin breeding colony. Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service attributed the landslip to a combination of heavy spring rains and severe erosion caused by rabbits.{{Cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200610/s1770316.htm |title=Rabbits blamed for penguin deaths in landslide |work=News Online |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=21 October 2006 |access-date=5 April 2007}}

Research by Australian Antarctic Division scientists, published in the 13 January 2009 issue of the British Ecological Society's Journal of Applied Ecology, suggested that the success of the feral cat eradication program has allowed the rabbit population to increase, damaging the Macquarie Island ecosystem by altering significant areas of island vegetation.{{Cite news |url=http://www.antarctica.gov.au/news/2009/lessons-learned-from-devastating-effects-of-cat-eradication-on-macquarie-island |title=Lessons learned from devastating effects of cat eradication on Macquarie Island |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714181853/http://www.antarctica.gov.au/news/2009/lessons-learned-from-devastating-effects-of-cat-eradication-on-macquarie-island |archive-date=14 July 2014}} However, in a comment published in the same journal other scientists argued that a number of factors (primarily a reduction in the use of the Myxoma virus) were almost certainly involved and the absence of cats may have been relatively minor among them.{{cite journal |last1=Dowding |first1=J.E. |last2=Murphy |first2=E.C. |last3=Springer |first3=K. |last4=Peacock |first4=A.J. |last5=Krebs |first5=C.J. |year=2009 |title=Cats, rabbits, Myxoma virus, and vegetation on Macquarie Island: a comment on Bergstrom et al. (2009) |journal=Journal of Applied Ecology |volume=46 |issue=5 |pages=1129–1132 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2664.2009.01690.x |doi-access=free|bibcode=2009JApEc..46.1129D }} The original authors examined the issue in a later reply and concluded that the effect of the Myxoma virus use was small and reaffirmed their original position.{{cite journal |title=Management implications of the Macquarie Island trophic cascade revisited: a reply to Dowding et al. (2009) |journal=Journal of Applied Ecology |volume=46 |issue=5 |pages=1133–1136 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2664.2009.01708.x |year=2009 |last1=Bergstrom |first1=Dana M. |last2=Lucieer |first2=Arko |last3=Kiefer |first3=Kate |last4=Wasley |first4=Jane |last5=Belbin |first5=Lee |last6=Pedersen |first6=Tore K. |last7=Chown |first7=Steven L. |bibcode=2009JApEc..46.1133B |hdl=10019.1/120032 |hdl-access=free}} The original authors did not, however, explain how rabbit numbers were greater in previous periods such as the 1970s before the myxoma virus was introduced and when cats were not being controlled, nor how rabbits had built up to such high numbers when cats were present for some 60 years prior to the introduction of rabbits;{{cn|date=November 2024}} suggesting that cats were not controlling rabbit populations before the introduction of the myxoma virus.{{OR|date=November 2024}}

On 4 June 2007, a media release by Malcolm Turnbull, Federal Minister for Australia's Environment and Water Resources Board, announced that the Australian and Tasmanian Governments had reached an agreement to jointly fund the eradication of rodent pests, including rabbits, to protect Macquarie Island's World Heritage values.{{cite press release |first=Malcolm |last=Turnbull |author-link=Malcolm Turnbull |title=Agreement to eradicate rabbits on Macquarie Island |date=7 June 2007 |url=http://www.environment.gov.au/minister/env/2007/pubs/mr04jun07.pdf |publisher=Australian Government |access-date=12 June 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927161323/http://www.environment.gov.au/minister/env/2007/pubs/mr04jun07.pdf |archive-date=27 September 2007}} The plan, estimated to cost $24 million Australian dollars, was based on mass baiting the island similar to an eradication program on Campbell Island, New Zealand,{{cite news |first=Andrew |last=Darby |title=Up against rats, rabbits and costs |date=11 April 2007 |url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/science/up-against-rats-rabbits-and-costs/2007/04/11/1175971183257.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap2 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |access-date=11 April 2007 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071222231309/http://www.smh.com.au/news/science/up-against-rats-rabbits-and-costs/2007/04/11/1175971183257.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap2 |archive-date=22 December 2007}} to be followed with teams of dogs trained by Steve Austin[http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/antarctica-expedition-macquarie-island.htm/ Antarctica expedition: Macquarie Island] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110326104903/http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/antarctica-expedition-macquarie-island.htm |date=26 March 2011}}, Australian Geographic, 23 March 2011. over a maximum seven-year period.{{Cite web |url=http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/macquarie/rabbitsfaq.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070812004625/http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/macquarie/rabbitsfaq.html |url-status=dead |title=Parks and Wildlife Service, Tasmania - Plan for the Eradication of Rabbits and Rodents on Macquarie Island |archive-date=12 August 2007}} The baiting was expected to inadvertently affect kelp gulls, but greater-than-expected bird deaths caused the program to be suspended. Other species killed by the baits include giant petrels, black ducks and skuas.{{cite news |last=Ogilvie |first=Felicity |title=Bird deaths lead to review of baiting program |url=http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2010/s3046416.htm |access-date=17 January 2013 |work=ABC News |location=Australia |date=23 October 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101102140032/http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2010/s3046416.htm |archive-date=2 November 2010}}

In February 2012, The Australian newspaper reported that rabbits, rats and mice had been nearly eradicated from the island.{{cite news |url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/health-science/natives-thriving-since-pests-were-voted-off-the-island/story-e6frg8y6-1226269129988 |title=Natives thriving since pests were voted off the island |first=Matthew |last=Denholm |work=The Australian |date=13 February 2012 |access-date=27 February 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120226213952/http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/health-science/natives-thriving-since-pests-were-voted-off-the-island/story-e6frg8y6-1226269129988 |archive-date=26 February 2012}} In April 2012 the hunting teams reported the extermination of 13 rabbits that had survived the 2011 baiting; the last five were found in November 2011, including a lactating doe and four kittens. No fresh rabbit signs were found up to July 2013.{{cite web |url=http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=13001 |title=Parks & Wildlife Service - Project News & Updates |work=parks.tas.gov.au |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130424080012/http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=13001 |archive-date=24 April 2013 |access-date=7 March 2014}}

On 8 April 2014, Macquarie Island was officially declared pest-free, after seven years of conservation efforts.{{cite web |url=http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/indeX.aspX?sys=News%20Article&intID=3157 |title=Parks & Wildlife Service - News Article |work=parks.tas.gov.au |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150413023110/http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?sys=News%20Article&intID=3157 |archive-date=13 April 2015 |access-date=8 April 2014}} This achievement was the largest successful island pest-eradication program attempted to that date.{{cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-07/macquarie-island-declared-pest-free-after-eradication-program/5373336?section=tas |title=Macquarie Island declared pest free |work=ABC News |location=Australia |date=7 April 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140408012506/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-07/macquarie-island-declared-pest-free-after-eradication-program/5373336?section=tas |archive-date=8 April 2014}}[https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/09/south-georgia-declared-rat-free-centuries-rodent-devastation South Georgia Declared Rat-Free (The Guardian, 9 May 2018) Accessed 20 July 2020] In May 2024, it was reported that the island had remained free of pests for 10 years, with vegetation flourishing.

Populations of multiple bird species have begun to recover. The white-headed petrel (Pterodroma lessonii) that was close to extinction by 2001 has shown a large increase in breeding success, and the population is now slowly increasing. Two other species of petrel, the grey petrel (Procellaria cinerea) and blue petrel (Halobaena caerulea) that were extinct on the main island from the 1900s, have now returned. Their populations are increasing at around 10% per annum.{{Cite web |last=Bird |first=Jeremy |last2=Shaw |first2=Justine |last3=Fuller |first3=Richard |date=20 February 2024 |title=Ridding Macquarie Island of pests pays off as seabirds come back from the brink – but recovery has just begun |url=https://theconversation.com/ridding-macquarie-island-of-pests-pays-off-as-seabirds-come-back-from-the-brink-but-recovery-has-just-begun-221992 |access-date=25 December 2024 |website=The Conversation |language=en}} However, ongoing monitoring, along with measures such as the use of biosecurity dogs to check cargo with the island as its destination are necessary, as there are new threats such as climate change and avian influenza. Ongoing monitoring programs are funded by the federal government.{{cite web | last=Gibson | first=Jano | title=Macquarie Island remains pest free 10 years after eradication program, but new threats loom | website=ABC News | date=30 May 2024 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-30/macquarie-island-pest-free-following-eradication-program/103908056 | access-date=1 June 2024}}

Despite being declared pest-free, Macquarie Island is still inhabited by several invasive bird species, such as the domestic mallard and European starling. The self-introduction of domestic mallards from New Zealand has become a threat to the Pacific black duck population on Macquarie Island through introgressive hybridisation.{{Cite web |title=This week at Macquarie Island: 21 October 2016 |url=https://www.antarctica.gov.au/news/stations/macquarie-island/2016/this-week-at-macquarie-island-21-october-2016/ |access-date=2022-04-19 |website=www.antarctica.gov.au|date=21 October 2016 }}{{Citation |author=Australian Antarctic Division |title=Ducks and Mallards of Macquarie Island |url=https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/aad-aadc-00031 |publisher=Government of Australia |access-date=22 August 2023}}

Macquarie Island has been a part of Tasmania, Australia since 1880. It was a part of Esperance Municipality until 1993, when the municipality was merged with other municipalities to form Huon Valley Council.[https://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/history/stations/macquarie-island/ Macquarie Island station: a brief history] Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, Australian Antarctic Division. Retrieved 1 July 2020.

Since 1948, the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) has maintained a permanent base, the Macquarie Island Station, on the isthmus at the northern end of the island at the foot of Wireless Hill. The population of the base, constituting the island's only human inhabitants, usually varies from 20 to 40 people over the year. A heliport is located nearby.

In September 2016, the Australian Antarctic Division said it would close its research station on the island in 2017.{{cite web |title=Options for a continuing permanent year-round presence on Macquarie Island to be considered |url=https://www.environment.gov.au/minister/frydenberg/media-releases/mr20160916.html |access-date=16 September 2016 |work=Federal Environment Minister}} However, shortly afterwards, the Australian government responded to widespread backlash by announcing funding to upgrade ageing infrastructure and continue existing operations.

In 2018, the Australian Antarctic Division published a map showing the island's buildings with confirmed or suspected asbestos contamination, which included at least half the structures there.{{Cite web |date=August 2018 |title=Map 14689: Macquarie Island - Asbestos presence in buildings |url=https://data.aad.gov.au/aadc/mapcat/display_map.cfm?map_id=14689 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190113174030/https://data.aad.gov.au/database/mapcat/maccastn/macquarie_buildings_asbestos_14689.pdf |archive-date=13 January 2019 |access-date=13 January 2019 |website=data.aad.gov.au |type=Map}}

In April 2024, Permanent Daylight-Saving Time on Macquarie Island was abolished by the Huon Valley Council and was changed to Summer DST. Previously, Macquarie Island was the only place on earth to observe permanent Daylight-Saving Time. Permanent Daylight-Saving on Macquarie Island was intended for stationed personnel on Macquarie Island Station, but then consent for a permanent human population was granted.{{Citation needed|date=April 2025|reason=No specific reference found but Australian Federal funding for upgrade etc all happened after outcry in 2027/18}}

Through "Operation Southern Discovery", elements of the Australian Defence Force also provide annual support for the Australian Antarctic Division and the Australian Antarctic Program (AAP) in regional scientific, environmental and economic activities.{{cite web |title=Operation Southern Discovery |url=https://www.defence.gov.au/operations/southern-discovery |access-date=20 August 2023 |website=Australian Government - Defence}} As part of "Operation Resolute", the Royal Australian Navy and Australian Border Force are tasked with deploying {{sclass2|Cape|patrol boat|5}} or {{sclass|Armidale|patrol boat|0}} patrol boats to carry out civil maritime security operations in the region as may be required.{{cite web|url=https://www.defence.gov.au/operations/resolute |title=Operation Resolute |website=Australian Government - Defence |access-date=20 August 2023}} In part to carry out this mission, as of 2023, the Navy's Armidale-class boats are in the process of being replaced by larger {{sclass|Arafura|offshore patrol vessel|1}}s.{{cite web|url=https://www.navy.gov.au/fleet/ships-boats-craft/future/opv |title=Arafura Class OPV |website=Royal Australian Navy |access-date=20 August 2023}}

File:MacquarieIsland7.JPG|A Macquarie Island beach

File:MacquarieIsland4.JPG|Macquarie Island flora, Epilobium pedunculare

File:MacquarieIsland5.JPG|Macquarie Island flora, Stilbocarpa polaris

File:Royal penguins arguing.jpg|Royal penguins

File:MacquarieIslandElephantSeal.JPG|Bull elephant seals fighting

File:MacquarieIslandCormorant.JPG|Macquarie shag

File:MacquarieIslandGentoo.JPG|Gentoo penguin with chick

File:MacquarieIslandLusiBAY.JPG|King penguins at Lusitania Bay

File:MacquarieIslandRockhoppers.JPG|Eastern rockhopper penguins

File:MacquarieIslandSooties.JPG|Sooty albatross

File:MacquarieIslandIsthmus.JPG|Macquarie Island Station

File:MacquarieIslandWanderer.JPG|Wandering albatross

File:MacquarieIslandGreenGORGE.JPG|Green Gorge hut and king penguins

File:Pleurophyllum hookeri Macquarie Island.jpg|Highland herbfield dominated by Pleurophyllum hookeri

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{{Portal|Australia|Islands|Geography}}

{{div col|colwidth=20em}}

• Campbell Macquarie (1812 shipwreck)
• Island restoration
• List of administrative heads of Macquarie Island
• List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands
• List of islands of Tasmania
• Macquarie Fault Zone
• Macquarie Island Marine Park

{{div col end}}

{{reflist|refs={{cite Q|Q124158686|p=174}}{{cite Q|Q131552246|p71}}{{cite Q|Q131552246|p58}}}}

• {{cite Q|Q124158686}}
• {{Cite Q|Q131552246}}
• {{Cite web |last=Parks and Wildlife Service |date=2006 |title=Macquarie Island Nature Reserve and World Heritage Area Management Plan 2006 |url=https://parks.tas.gov.au/Documents/Macquarie%20Island%20Nature%20Reserve%20and%20World%20Heritage%20Area%20Management%20Plan%202006.pdf |publisher=Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of Tourism, Arts and the Environment}}

• [http://rsnz.natlib.govt.nz/volume/rsnz_15/rsnz_15_00_006250.html Macquarie Island, an 1882 paper in the Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand]
• [http://rsnz.natlib.govt.nz/volume/rsnz_27/rsnz_27_00_004370.html Macquarie Island, an 1894 paper in the Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand]

{{Commons category|Macquarie Island}}

{{Wikisource1911Enc|Macquarie}}

{{wikivoyage|Macquarie Island}}

• [http://www.antarctica.gov.au/living-and-working/stations/macquarie-island Macquarie Island station] (Australian Antarctic Division)
• [http://www.antarctica.gov.au/webcams/macquarie-island Macquarie Island station webcam]
• [http://environment.gov.au/heritage/places/world/macquarie/index.html World heritage listing for Macquarie Island]
• [https://macquarieisland.org/ Macquarie Island Conservation Foundation]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20050706114645/http://www.odp.usyd.edu.au/odp_CD/computer/concepts/ozex/macq.html Macquarie Island oceanic crust]
• [http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-an20037022-46 A picture of Macquarie Island (historical heritage - Remnants of seal hunting)]

{{Countries and territories of Oceania}}

{{Islands of Tasmania|state=collapsed}}

{{Peri-Antarctic countries and overseas territories}}

{{World Heritage Sites In Australia}}

{{Authority control}}

Macquarie Island

Category:Australian National Heritage List

Category:Important Bird Areas of Tasmania

Category:Island restoration

Category:Islands of Tasmania

Category:Protected areas of Tasmania

Category:World Heritage Sites in Australia

Category:IBRA subregions

Category:Islands of the Pacific Ocean

Category:Former biosphere reserves

Category:Seal hunting

Category:Important Bird Areas of subantarctic islands