Lord Howe Island Marine Park is the site of Australia's and the world’s most southern
coral reef ecosystem. The island is 10 km in length, 2 km wide and consists of a large lagoonal reef system along its leeward side, with 28 small islets along its coast. In 1999, the waters within three nautical miles of
Lord Howe Island (465.45 km
2) were declared a marine park under the
NSW Marine Park Act 1997 to protect its unique marine
biodiversity, with the park currently being managed by the New South Wales Marine Parks Authority. Both Lord Howe Island and
Balls Pyramid are incorporated within the three nautical miles protected by the state marine park. The waters from 3 - 12 nautical miles were declared a federal marine park on 21 June 2000, see
Lord Howe Island Marine Park (Commonwealth waters). Both marine parks complement the island's status as a
World Heritage Site.