Park Conservation and Significance
Christmas Island Nursery, next to the Territory Day Park.
The Christmas Island Species Inventory Database recognises 253 endemic animals and plants, and another 160 that do not occur anywhere else in Australia. No other land area or reserve in Australia supports so many internationally and nationally significant species in such a small area. It is part of the network of habitats of migratory species that Australia must protect under international agreements such as the Japan-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (JAMBA) and the China-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (CAMBA). Many other international agreements impose similar implicit obligations of protection and management. Most other islands in the Indian Ocean and the South East Asia region are losing habitat to expanding human populations, so that Christmas Island, by default, assumes an ever-increasing importance.
The Park provides exceptional opportunities for ecological study, as islands have always played an important role in the development of ecological theory. By regarding islands as habitats of various sizes neatly separated from each other over a wide range of distances, ecologists have gained much insight into the basic processes of dispersal, immigration, competition, adaptation and extinction. These factors determine distribution and abundance of plants and animals.
The Park is readily accessible and visitors can observe the classic patterns of island colonisation, and their evolutionary implications. The Park presents many opportunities for eco-tourism because of its unique rainforest, the variety and number of seabirds, the spectacular red crab migration and the rugged land and seascapes.
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