Why is South West Australia a biodiversity hotspot?
Why is South West Australia a biodiversity hotspot?
Australia may be the driest continent on Earth, but it is still home to some amazing biodiversity. The country’s southwest corner is one region that is recognized as a global biodiversity “hotspot” with outstanding natural environments whose protection is essential.
Why Western Australia is not considered a biodiversity hotspot?
Western Australia’s globally unique biodiversity This is due to the State’s geographical expanse, climatic diversity, areas of relative wilderness, regions with extremely nutrient-impoverished soils, and the fact that significant areas of WA have not been covered by sea or glaciated over geological time.
Is Western Australia a biodiversity hotspot?
The South West Australia Ecoregion (SWAE) is Australia’s only Global Biodiversity Hotspot, and is home to a variety of unique flora and fauna which are under serious threat. One of these the Central and Eastern Avon Wheatbelt (Western Australia) forms part our region.
Where is the southwest Australia hotspot located?
The Southwest Australia Biodiversity Hotspot occupies some 356,700 square kilometers of the southwestern tip of the continent.
Why is the southwest Australia threatened?
Land clearing for agriculture remains the number one threat to the survival of animal and plant species in Australia, especially in the southwest. Logging, invasive species, salinity and climate change are also taking a serious toll on this fragile environment.
What is southwest Australia known for?
Southwest Australia is one of 25 original global hotspots for wildlife and plants, and the first one identified in Australia. Biodiversity hotspots are defined as regions “where exceptional concentrations of endemic species are undergoing exceptional loss of habitat”.
Why is southwest Australia important?
Southwest Australia is one of 25 original global hotspots for wildlife and plants, and the first one identified in Australia. As many as 44% of all species of native plants and 35% of all species in four animal groups are confined to the original 25 hotspots, which comprise only 1.4% of Earth’s land surface.
What is located in the southwestern part of Australia?
Southwest Australia savanna (IBRA Geraldton Sandplains, Avon Wheatbelt, and Yalgoo) Southwest Australia woodlands (IBRA Jarrah Forest) Swan Coastal Plain scrub and woodlands (IBRA Swan Coastal Plain)
How many national biodiversity hotspots are there in Australia?
15 national biodiversity hotspots
The NAR also contains three of Australia’s 15 national biodiversity hotspots: the Geraldton to Shark Bay Sandplains, Mount Lesueur-Eneabba and the Central & Eastern Avon Wheatbelt.
Is Albany South West?
It is a section of the larger South Coast of Western Australia and neighbouring agricultural regions. The region officially comprises the local government areas of Albany, Broomehill-Tambellup, Cranbrook, Denmark, Gnowangerup, Jerramungup, Katanning, Kent, Kojonup, Plantagenet and Woodanilling.
Where is the great southern region?
Western Australia
The Great Southern region is located on the south coast of Western Australia, adjoining the Southern Ocean, where the coast extends for approximately 250 kilometres.
What is the oldest town in Western Australia?
York is the oldest inland European settlement in Western Australia, originally established to grow cereal crops to feed the Swan River Settlement in 1829. The town is listed as a Heritage Precinct due to the significant number of historic buildings throughout the township.
What is the meaning of kwongan?
Kwongan is an ecoregion found in south-western Western Australia. The name is a Bibbelmun ( Noongar) Aboriginal term of wide geographical use defined by Beard (1976) as a ‘type of country [that is] sandy and is open without timber-sized trees but with a scrubby vegetation.
What is the kwongan heathland?
The Kwongan heathland is a globally significant and threatened ecosystem located in the Southwest Australia biodiversity hotspot. It is visually stunning, and home to one of the state’s best wildflower displays, featuring an enormous variety of colour, shapes and sizes.
What are the vegetation types of the kwongan region?
Principal vegetation types in this region are Eucalyptus woodlands, and the Eucalyptus -dominated “mallee” shrubland. Kwongan is a term adapted from the Aboriginal Noongar language to cover the various Western Australian types of shrubland,
What animals live in the kwongan?
There are fewer animals in the south west than plants, but the Kwongan is home to some of Australia’s most iconic species, such as the tiny nectar and pollen-feeding Honey possum ( Tarsipes rostratus ). The Honey possum is only distantly-related to other Australian marsupials and is the only member of its Family.