Naracoorte woodlands

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Naracoorte woodlands
Naracoorte Coastal Plain
Looking up the Coorong from the Murray mouth.jpg
Looking up the Coorong from the Murray mouth
IBRA 6.1 Naracoorte Coastal Plain.png
Map of the ecoregion
Ecology
Realm Australasian
Biome Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub
Borders
Geography
Area24,431 km2 (9,433 sq mi)
Country Australia
States
Coordinates 36°57′S140°21′E / 36.95°S 140.35°E / -36.95; 140.35
Conservation
Conservation status Critical/endangered
Protected2,326 km² (10%) [1]

The Naracoorte woodlands is an ecoregion in southern Australia. It covers the Naracoorte coastal plain in southeastern South Australia and southwestern Victoria. It is coterminous with the Naracoorte Coastal Plain IBRA region. Only 10% of the ecoregion's area still has its original vegetation; most has been converted to agriculture and pasture. [2] [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Location and description

The topography is generally low, either flat or gently undulating. There are extensive coastal dunes with saltwater, brackish, and freshwater lakes and wetlands. Many of the soils are sandy. Others areas are made up of calcrete; the area is known as the Limestone Coast. [2]

The ecoregion is bounded on the southeast by the Southeast Australia temperate forests ecoregion, and the Mount Gambier area is a western outlier of that ecoregion. The Murray-Darling woodlands and mallee lies to the north and east, and includes the Murray River estuary which bounds the Naracoorte woodlands on the north. The Great Australian Bight lies to the south and west.

Climate

The ecoregion has a mild Mediterranean climate with a strong maritime influence that moderates temperature extremes. Rainfall ranges from 850 mm in the wetter southern areas to 400 mm in the driest inland and northern areas. [2]

Flora

The original vegetation includes open sclerophyll forests in areas with higher rainfall and well-drained soils, and open woodlands and shrublands in drier areas. low shrubland (heath) grew in sandy soils and stabilized dunes. Open woodlands of river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) are found in seasonally-waterlogged areas. Swamps and wet meadows of the tussock sedge Gahnia grow in the wettest areas. [2]

Fauna

The ecoregion's extensive wetlands and coastal lakes are important habitat for migratory and resident water birds.

The ecoregion has few endemic or near-endemic species. The endangered orange-bellied parrot (Neophema chrysogaster) overwinters in the vegetated coastal dunes and saltmarshes. The endangered swift parrot (Lathamus discolor) and regent honeyeater (Anthochaera phyrigia) have been mostly extirpated from habitat loss. [2]

Protected areas

A 2017 assessment found that 2,326 km2, or 10%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas. [1] Most of the protected areas are small, and preserve coastal dunes and wetlands. The more extensive ones include Coorong National Park, Messent Conservation Park, Canunda National Park, and Mount Richmond National Park.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Limestone Coast</span> Region in South Australia

The Limestone Coast is a name used since the early twenty-first century for a South Australian government region located in the south east of South Australia which immediately adjoins the continental coastline and the Victorian border. The name is also used for a tourist region and a wine zone both located in the same part of South Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carnarvon xeric shrublands</span> Terrestrial ecoregion in Western Australia

The Carnarvon xeric shrublands is a deserts and xeric shrublands ecoregion of Western Australia. The ecoregion is coterminous with the Carnarvon Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) bioregion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swan Coastal Plain</span> Bioregion in Western Australia

The Swan Coastal Plain in Western Australia is the geographic feature which contains the Swan River as it travels west to the Indian Ocean. The coastal plain continues well beyond the boundaries of the Swan River and its tributaries, as a geological and biological zone, one of Western Australia's Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia regions. It is also one of the distinct physiographic provinces of the larger West Australian Shield division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warren bioregion</span> Biogeographic region in southern Western Australia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esperance mallee</span> Terrestrial ecoregion in Australia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Djibouti xeric shrublands</span> Ecoregion in northeastern Africa

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carpentaria tropical savanna</span> Ecoregion in Australia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kimberley tropical savanna</span> Terrestrial ecoregion in Western Australia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southeast Australia temperate savanna</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murray Darling Depression</span>

The Murray Darling Depression , also known as the Murray-Darling woodlands and mallee, is a 19,717,651 HA biogeographic region and an ecoregion in southeastern Australia consisting of a wooded plain through which flow two of Australia's biggest rivers, the Murray and the Darling. There are several modern human settlements in the bioregion including Ivanhoe and Manilla, but the region also contains some of the oldest known human occupation sites in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Argentine Espinal</span> Ecoregion in Argentina

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape York Peninsula tropical savanna</span> Region in Queensland, Australia

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Wide Bay Military Reserve is a heritage-listed military installation at Tin Can Bay Road, Tin Can Bay, Queensland, Australia. The reserve supports a diverse range of plant communities from estuarine, strand, wetlands, heath, tall shrublands and woodlands, to the open forests of the sub-coastal hills and ranges. The total number of bird species recorded for the place totals 250, which is high by Australian standards. It was added to the Australian Commonwealth Heritage List on 22 June 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iberian sclerophyllous and semi-deciduous forests</span>

The Iberian sclerophyllous and semi-deciduous forests is a Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregion in southwestern Europe. It occupies the interior valleys and plateaus of the Iberian Peninsula. The ecoregion lies mostly in Spain, and includes some portions of eastern Portugal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northeastern Spain and Southern France Mediterranean forests</span> Ecoregion in Southern Europe

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southeastern Iberian shrubs and woodlands</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southeast Australia temperate forests</span> Terrestrial ecoregion in Australia

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References

  1. 1 2 Dinerstein, Eric; Olson, David; et al. (June 2017). "An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm". BioScience. 67 (6): 534–545. doi: 10.1093/biosci/bix014 . PMC   5451287 . PMID   28608869.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) Supplemental material 2 table S1b.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Naracoorte woodlands". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
  3. "Map of Ecoregions 2017". Resolve. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  4. "Naracoorte woodlands". Digital Observatory for Protected Areas. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  5. "Naracoorte woodlands". The Encyclopedia of Earth. Retrieved 20 August 2021.