Mulga Lands

Coordinates: 28°06′S 145°41′E / 28.100°S 145.683°E / -28.100; 145.683
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Mulga Lands
Eastern Australia mulga shrublands
Mulga lands in South west Queensland
Map of IBRA bioregions, with Mulga Lands in red
Ecology
RealmAustralasian
BiomeTemperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands
Deserts and xeric shrublands
Borders
List
  • Tirari-Sturt stony desert
Geography
Area251,883 km2 (97,253 sq mi)
CountryAustralia
States
Coordinates28°06′S 145°41′E / 28.100°S 145.683°E / -28.100; 145.683
Conservation
Conservation statusvulnerable
Protected9,662 km² (4%)[1]

The Mulga Lands are an interim Australian bioregion of eastern Australia consisting of dry sandy plains with low mulga woodlands and shrublands that are dominated by Acacia aneura (mulga).[2] The Eastern Australia mulga shrublands ecoregion is coterminous with the Mulga Lands bioregion.[3]

Location and description

Located in inland

Lake Wyara and Lake Numalla, the Currawinya Lakes, Lake Bindegolly and others on the Warrego and the Paroo Rivers
, the latter of which in particular remains relatively unmanaged and in its natural state.

The area has a very dry climate, with unpredictable low rainfall (450mm-650mm per year). The plains are drained in three directions: the eastern side by the

Murray-Darling basin; the southwest by the Bulloo River into wetlands near the Simpson Desert; and finally the northern side by the Barcoo River towards Lake Eyre. The Great Artesian Basin lies below these plains and more rich patches of wildlife are found around mound springs
stemming from the basin.

The Mulga Lands are defined by their plant life and poor soil and as such are distinct from neighbouring

Tirari-Sturt stony desert
ecoregions lie to the west.

The mulga lands are sparsely populated and mostly used for grazing sheep and cattle.

Flora

Mulga trees are a type of acacia which have adapted to efficiently collect the sparse rainfall, are the distinctive habitat of this ecoregion while the ground cover consists of shrubs and grasses. However the mulga lands are not uniform and there are micro-climates and patches of other kinds of habitat, especially areas of eucalyptus woodland in the better-watered parts that have more wildlife than the mulga acacia plains themselves. Eucalyptus trees found here include bimble box, coolibah, and silver-leaved ironbark. To the east of the Warrego River in Queensland the mulga lands merge into a heath of sand dunes. Throughout the mulga lands plant life quickly flourishes after rainfall and habitats revive and change.

Fauna

.

Conservation and threats

Together with the

References

  1. .
  2. ^ "Description". Queensland Government. 14 February 2017. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
    - Boyland, D. E (2006). Sustainable harvesting of mulga for fodder in the Mulga Lands. s.n.
  3. ^ "Eastern Australia mulga shrublands". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
    - "Map of Ecoregions 2017". Resolve. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
    - "Eastern Australia mulga shrublands". Digital Observatory for Protected Areas. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
    - "Eastern Australia mulga shrublands". The Encyclopedia of Earth. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
    - Stanton, J. P. (James Peter); Morgan, M. G. (1977), The rapid selection and appraisal of key and endangered sites : the Queensland case study, the University of New England School of Natural Resources, p. 1-10
  4. ^ Morris, Nathan (10 April 2022). "Beef industry could struggle to achieve net zero by 2030 if Queensland keeps clearing land". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  5. ^ "Eastern Australia mulga shrublands". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.