[6] Pakistan declared Astola as its first Marine Protected Area in June 2017 as part an international obligation of the Federal Government under the Convention on Biological Diversity and its Aichi Biodiversity Targets.

[7] The earliest mention of Astola is in Arrian's account of Admiral Nearchos, who was dispatched by Alexander the Great to explore the coast of the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf in 325 BC.

[9] The island consists of a large tilted plateau and a series of seven small hillocks (hence the local name "Haft Talar" or "Seven Hills"), with deep chasms and crevices, which are several feet wide.

The island is reported to support a large number of breeding water birds including coursers, curlews, godwit, gulls, plovers and sanderling.

Feral cats originally introduced by fishermen to control the endemic rodent population, pose an increasing threat to wildlife breeding sites.

[13] In Arrian's Indica, which describes the westward journey of Alexander's fleet after the Indian Campaign (325 BC), Admiral Nearchus is quoted as having anchored by an island named 'Carnine'.

Some scholars have assumed Carnine to be Astola, without considering the extreme aridity and lack of fresh water, which renders the place inhospitable for human habitation, as well as animal husbandry.