Canberra, Oct 8 (IANS): Australia's Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has declared that the country now protects more ocean than any other nation after the government finalised a major marine park expansion.

Plibersek announced on Tuesday that the federal government has signed off on quadrupling the size of the existing sub-Antarctic Heard and McDonald Islands Marine Park, Xinhua news agency reported.

She said that the decision means that 52 per cent of Australia's oceans are now under protection, exceeding the 30 per cent by 2030 target the government signed up to as part of a 2022 United Nations pledge.

The size of the Heard and McDonald Islands Marine Park has been increased by 310,000 square kilometres, an area larger than Italy, providing greater protection to the environment and major populations of penguins, seals, whales and seabirds.

The islands are located approximately 4,000 km southwest of Western Australia and 1,700 km north of Antarctica in the Indian Ocean and are home to Australia's only two active volcanoes.

"Nature thrives there without us. It's free from feral species and has had minimal human intervention. Not only do the islands contain Australia's only active volcanoes, but huge populations of marine birds and mammals numbering in the millions," Plibersek said in a statement.

"I'm proud that Australia now protects more ocean than any other country on earth. This is a unique and extraordinary part of our planet. We are doing everything we can to protect it."

She said that Australia has delivered the biggest contribution to ocean conservation in the world for two consecutive years.

The expansion of the marine park was recommended by an independent scientific review that was published in February.

Save Our Marine Life, a coalition of 27 environmental groups, welcomed the expansion but said that some areas of the park important to albatross, penguins, fish and seals had not been given the high sanctuary-level protection recommended by the independent review.