Eastern Australian temperate forests
Eastern Australian temperate forests | |
---|---|
Brigalow tropical savanna | |
Bird species | 380[1] |
Mammal species | 87[1] |
Geography | |
Area | 222,100 km2 (85,800 sq mi) |
Country | Australia |
States | |
Conservation | |
Habitat loss | 32.821%[1] |
Protected | 16.55%[1] |
The Eastern Australian temperate forests is a broad ecoregion of open forest on uplands (typically on the Great Dividing Range) starting from the east coast of New South Wales in the South Coast to southern Queensland, Australia. Although dry sclerophyll and wet sclerophyll eucalyptus forests predominate within this ecoregion,[2][3] a number of distinguishable rainforest communities are present as well.[4][5]
Many systematic National and
Geography
This ecoregion covers an area between Australia's east coast and the
Eucalyptus communities meandering the coast in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales are usually wet sclerophyll wet forests, ranging from 30 percent to 70 percent closed canopy cover, with the understorey containing small broadleaved trees,
Subtropical rainforest are complex closed-forests that are the most developed community in New South Wales, growing in warm, fecund sites having rainfall higher than 1,300 mm per year. They are predominantly found between the border of Queensland and New South Wales, near the Gold Coast, Coffs Harbour and Byron Bay.[13][14][15]
Dry rainforests are low closed forests with irregular
Warm temperate rainforest are closed forests with far less diversity than the dry or subtropical rainforests, growing on low-nutrient soils. It is found scattered in the Blue Mountains,
The rainforest communities of this region exhibit ecological relations to other regions: the cool temperate rainforest is similar to the biome found in Tasmania, the warm temperate rainforest has links to the North Island of New Zealand, and the subtropical and dry regions are also found up north in the Queensland tropical rain forests ecoregion. The Blue Mountains area has over 90 eucalypt taxa, or 13% of the global dispersion.[21]
Biome groupings
The ecoregion has a variety of vegetation communities in its scope:
- Eucalyptus open forests (dry and wet sclerophyll forests)
- Eucalyptus tall open forest
- Eucalyptus open forest
- Eucalyptus low open forest
- Eucalyptus open grassy woodlands
- Closed forests (rainforests and vine thickets)
- Subtropical rainforest
- Littoral rainforest
- Dry rainforest
- Warm temperate/deciduous rainforest (southern and northern group)
- Cool temperate rainforest
- Western Vine Thickets
To note, the open eucalypt forest is a broad, crescent-shaped vegetation community that is found from Gladstone, Queensland to as far as Quorn, South Australia in the southwest, which incorporates Southeast Australia temperate forests in southern Victoria and the Mediterranean woodlands in western Victoria and eastern South Australia.[22]
Climate
These are areas of eucalyptus forest on
Further north in the Border Ranges, monthly summer temperatures vary from 21.5C maximum to 19.7C minimum. Corresponding winter temperatures from Mount Tamborine in the Border Ranges vary from 17.8C maximum to 12.3C minimum. Throughout the ecoregion, rainfall is concentrated in the summer. Towards the north of the ecoregion rainfall is lower (750 mm to 1100 mm per year) and more seasonal.
Flora
The dominant forest is peppermint
A variety of eucalyptus trees dominate areas of this large ecoregion, including: in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales (such as in around such as the
There are particularly rich collections of
Fauna
Local wildlife includes
List of national parks within the ecoregion
These parks are listed in a north to south order, starting from northern NSW down to the south coast of NSW (to note, not all plant communities within these parks have temperate forests, as some would grade to Mediterranean woodlands and/or subtropical forests, depending on the vicinity):
- Border Ranges National Park
- Washpool National Park
- Willi Willi National Park
- Werrikimbe National Park
- Cottan-Bimbang National Park
- Barrington Tops National Park
- Myall Lakes National Park
- Brisbane Water National Park
- Berowra Valley National Park
- Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
- Dharug National Park
- Blue Mountains National Park
- Royal National Park
- Marramarra National Park
- Dharawal National Park
- Budderoo National Park
- Budawang National Park
- Monga National Park
- Deua National Park
- Wadbilliga National Park
- Mimosa Rocks National Park
- Wadbilliga National Park
See also
External links
References
- ^ a b c d
Hoekstra, J. M.; Molnar, J. L.; Jennings, M.; Revenga, C.; Spalding, M. D.; Boucher, T. M.; Robertson, J. C.; Heibel, T. J.; Ellison, K. (2010). Molnar, J. L. (ed.). The Atlas of Global Conservation: Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities to Make a Difference. ISBN 978-0-520-26256-0.
- ^ "Dry sclerophyll forests (shrubby sub-formation)". NSW Environment & Heritage. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
- ^ "Wet sclerophyll forests (grassy sub-formation)". NSW Environment & Heritage. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
- ^ Ashton, D.H. and P.M. Attiwill. 1994. Tall open-forests. Pages 157 – 196 in R.H. Groves, editor. Australian Vegetation. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
- ^ Rainforests by the Office of Environment & Heritage
- ^ Thackway, R., and I.D. Cresswell. editors. 1995. An Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia: a framework for establishing the national system of reserves, Version 4.0. Australian Nature Conservation Agency, Canberra.
- ^ Harden GJ (ed.) 2000-2002, The Flora of New South Wales. Volume 1-2 (Revised Edition) New South Wales University Press.
- ^ Earth Resource Analysis PL 1998, Cumberland Plains Woodland: Trial Aerial Photographic interpretation of remnant woodlands, Sydney. Unpublished report prepared for NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service – Sydney Zone.
- ^ "Dry sclerophyll forests (shrub/grass sub-formation)". NSW Environment & Heritage. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
- ^ "Wet sclerophyll forests (grassy sub-formation)". NSW Environment & Heritage. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
- ^ Benson D and Howell J 1990, Taken for granted: the bushland of Sydney and its suburbs. Kangaroo Press, Kenthurst, NSW.
- ^ Young B and Young A 2006, Understanding the Scenery: The Royal National Park with Heathcote National Park. Envirobook, Annandale NSW.
- ^ Subtropical Rainforests by the Office of Environment & Heritage
- ^ hdl:102.100.100/292256)
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link - ^ JSTOR 2257290.
- ^ Dry Rainforests by the Office of Environment & Heritage
- ^ Western Vine Thickets by the Office of Environment & Heritage
- ^ Floyd, A.G. 1990a. Australian Rainforests in New South Wales. Volume 1. Surrey Beatty & Sons, Chipping Norton, Australia.
- ^ Cool Temperate Rainforests by the Office of Environment & Heritage
- NSW Government. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
- ^ Glanznig, A. 1995. Native vegetation clearance, habitat loss, and biodiversity decline: an overview of recent native vegetation clearance in Australia and its implications for biodiversity. Biodiversity Series, Paper No.6. Biodiversity Unit, Department of the Environment, Sport, and Territories, Canberra, Australia.
- ^ The Implications of climate change for biodiversity conservation and the National Reserve System: sclerophyll forests of south-eastern Australia by CSIRO
- ^ Climate of Australia
- ^ McDonald, W.J.F., and P. Adams. 1995. Border Ranges. Pages 462 – 466 in S. D. Davis, V.H. Heywood and A.C. Hamilton, editors, Centres of plant diversity. Volume 2. Asia, Australasia, and the Pacific. WWF/IUCN, IUCN Publications Unit, Cambridge, UK.
- ^ McDonald, W.J.F., and J.A. Elsol, 1984. Moreton Region Vegetation Map series, Summary report for Caloundra, Brisbane, Beenleigh, Murwillumbah sheets. Botany Branch, Queensland Department of Primary Industries.
- ^ Nix H.A. 1993. Bird distributions in relation to imperatives for habitat conservation in Queensland. Pages 12 – 21 in C.P. Catterall, P.V. Driscoll, K. Hulsman, D. Muir, A. Taplin, editors. Birds and their habitats. Conference Proceedings, Queensland Ornithological Society Inc., Brisbane.