Australia's Noosa pointbreaks were officially added to the World Surfing Reserve yesterday, Save the Waves said in a statement posted on its website.

This is the tenth reserve in history, joining Punta Borinquen in Puerto Rico, Guarda do Embaú in Brazil, the Gold Coast and Manly Beach in Australia, Punta de Lobos in Chile, Todos Santos in Mexico, Huanchaco in Peru, Ericeira in Portugal and Malibu and Santa Cruz in the United States.

“For us, Noosa has always been a leader in showing the world how to proactively defend a surfing ecosystem and the coastal ecosystem in a way that benefits locals and the economy,” said Save the Waves director Nik Strong-Cvetich.

He added: “In many ways, being a World Surfing Reserve helps spread that message of conservation to other communities around the world.”

The reserve was marked from Sunshine Beach North to Noosa River and is Australia's third after the Gold Coast and Manly Beach.

The local team announced that it will further work to preserve the site by defining actions that protect it from surfing tourism, manage erosion and help improve the water quality and biodiversity of the Noosa River.

The first stage of the world longboard tour is currently taking place there.