CANBERRA, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Australian Environment Minister Peter Garrett announced on Wednesday the federal government had nominated the famous Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia (WA) be put on the World Heritage List.
Garrett revealed a nomination had been formally sent to the World Heritage Center in Paris.
The Ningaloo coastline - a popular tourist draw card ¨C stretches some 260 km along WA's northwest cape, from Exmouth to Coral Bay, covering coral reefs and sponge gardens.
The area has also just made it onto Australia's National Heritage List, Garrett said.
"The Ningaloo coast tells an extraordinary story of biogeography, climate change, the assembling of continents and the opening of oceans," he told reporters.
The Ningaloo area is home to some of Australia's most iconic marine animals, including dugongs, marine turtles, manta rays as well as whales and dolphins.
The nomination will be assessed over the next 18 months.
