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42-666: The Northern Swan Coastal Plain Important Bird Area comprises a 2307 km tract of land in south-west Western Australia . The Important Bird Area (IBA) stretches from the city of Perth northwards along the coast to the town of Guilderton , extending inland for about 40 km, thereby including much of the Swan Coastal Plain north of the Swan River . It is bounded by the Moore River in

84-675: A location in Western Australia is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Southwest Australia Southwest Australia is a biogeographic region in Western Australia . It includes the Mediterranean-climate area of southwestern Australia, which is home to a diverse and distinctive flora and fauna. The region is also known as the Southwest Australia Global Diversity Hotspot . The region includes

126-654: A moderate Mediterranean climate . It has the highest rainfall in the state, with annual falls of from 650 to 1500 millimetres (25.6–59.1 in), and a short dry season of only three to four months. The characteristic vegetation of the Warren region is the karri ( Eucalyptus diversicolor ) , at 90m the tallest trees in Australia, in association with the three tingle trees, which are endemic to this coast: rates tingle ( E. brevistylis ) , red tingle ( E. jacksonii ) and yellow tingle ( E. guilfoylei ) . Karri has

168-522: A small number of breeding birds, forming the largest population of non-breeding birds in Australia. The IBA also supports small populations of western corellas , red-capped parrots , western rosellas , western spinebills and western thornbills . Regent parrots , white-breasted and western yellow robins , and red-eared firetails have been occasionally recorded. 31°36′28″S 115°48′54″E  /  31.60778°S 115.81500°E  / -31.60778; 115.81500 This article about

210-420: A thick undergrowth of flowers and shrubs such as coral vine ( Kennedia coccinea ) . The most important plant families are Fabaceae (including the colourful wisteria, Hardenbergia comptoniana ), Orchidaceae , Mimosaceae , Myrtaceae and Proteaceae . The karri forest occurs in deep loam, and covers nearly half of the region. Although very moist in winter, it is not considered to be a rainforest because

252-885: Is an important pollinator for several southwestern plants including Banksia attenuata , Banksia coccinea , and Adenanthos cuneatus . Other mammals endemic to Southwest Australia are the western brush wallaby ( Macropus irma ) and the quokka ( Setonix brachyurus ). Southwest Australia is an Endemic Bird Area , with several endemic species of birds including the long-billed black cockatoo ( Zanda baudinii ), western corella ( Cacatua pastinator ), noisy scrubbird ( Atrichornis clamosus ), red-winged fairywren ( Malurus elegans ), western bristlebird ( Dasyornis longirostris ), black-throated whipbird ( Psophodes nigrogularis ), white-breasted robin ( Eopsaltria georgianus ), and red-eared firetail ( Stagonopleura oculata ). The western rufous bristlebird ( Dasyornis broadbenti litoralis ), an endemic subspecies of rufous bristlebird ,

294-604: Is now extinct. The World Wide Fund for Nature and Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) divide the region into six ecoregions and ten biogeographic regions: The transitional Coolgardie, Hampton, and Yalgoo bioregions are generally drier than the rest of the Southwest. They considered part of Southwest Australia by the WWF, but are considered part of the Central Australian or Eremaean Region by

336-592: Is rated at 42.5%. Protected areas include: The Warren region first appeared in Ludwig Diels ' 1906 biogeographical regionalisation of Western Australia. Diels' concept of Warren region was effectively all the land south of a line from Albany to Busselton ; thus it included a substantial area east of Margaret River that is now part of the Jarrah Forest region. The region was not recognised as one of Edward de Courcy Clarke 's "natural regions" in 1926, but

378-546: Is unpopulated, but there are a number of towns with substantial populations, most notably Margaret River , Augusta , Pemberton , Walpole , Denmark and Albany . Warren has a hilly topography, caused by two factors: the underlying geology, which consists of infolded metamorphic rock of the Leeuwin Complex and Archaean granite of the Albany-Fraser Orogen ; and the dissection of rivers such as

420-539: The Blackwood , Warren , Shannon and Frankland . The western extent of the region takes in the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge , an 80 kilometre (50 mi) long strip of coastal limestone on top of a ridge of granite , with an extensive cave system. There are a number of soil types, including hard setting loamy soil, lateritic soil, leached sandy soil and Holocene marine dunes. Warren has

462-556: The Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregions of Western Australia. The region covers 356,717 km , consisting of a broad coastal plain 20-120 kilometres wide, transitioning to gently undulating uplands made up of weathered granite , gneiss and laterite . Bluff Knoll in the Stirling Range is the highest peak in the region, at 1,099 metres (3,606 ft) elevation. Desert and xeric shrublands lie to

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504-640: The Western Australian Herbarium . Southwest Australia has several permanent rivers and streams, including the Swan – Avon system, the Blackwood River , and other short rivers. The perennial rivers drain from the interior plateau and Darling Range across the coastal plain. Their flow is strongly seasonal, corresponding to the Southwest's wet winter–dry summer weather pattern. The perennial streams extend from east of Esperance on

546-457: The chaparral , matorral , maquis , and fynbos shrublands found in other Mediterranean-type regions. The region has generally nutrient-poor sandy or lateritic soils, which has encouraged rich speciation of plants adapted to specific ecological niches. The region hosts a great diversity of endemic species, notably among the protea family ( Proteaceae ). Southwest Australia is home to many endemic carnivorous plants , including more than half

588-472: The western bristlebird ( Dasyornis longirostris ), western whipbird ( Psophodes nigrogularis nigrogularis ) and western ground parrot ( Pezoporus wallicus flaviventris ), all of which inhabit the region's heath vegetation; and the noisy scrub-bird ( Atrichornis clamosus ), which inhabits densely vegetated gullies. Other forest birds include the purple-crowned lorikeet . Insects include an endemic spider Moggridgea tingle . The freshwater streams of

630-522: The "Warren Botanical District" became the "Karri Forest Region". When the IBRA was published in the 1990s, Beard's regionalisation was used as the baseline for Western Australia. The Warren region was accepted as defined by Beard, but reverted to the name "Warren". It has since survived a number of revisions. When the IBRA subregions were introduced in IBRA Version 6.1, the whole of Warren was defined as

672-417: The 1960s. The summer of 2021/22 was the hottest on record. Southwest Australia is recognised as a floristic province . Vegetation in the region is mainly woody, including forests , woodlands , shrublands , and heathlands , but no grasslands . Predominant vegetation types are Eucalyptus woodlands, eucalyptus-dominated mallee shrublands, and kwongan shrublands and heathlands, which correspond to

714-605: The South West. As well as the three tingle trees other species endemic to the region include Corymbia ficifolia (red flowering gum). The area around Albany is especially rich in endemics such as Cephalotus follicularis . The Warren region supports a rich diversity of fauna, much of which is apparently Gondwanan in origin. Mammal species include the western ringtail possum ( Pseudocheirus occidentalis ), chuditch ( Dasyurus geoffroii ) (particularly found in Jarrah forest),

756-627: The Walpole-Nornalup National Park's Valley of the Giants , which includes a "Tree Top Walk". The main threat to the biodiversity of the Warren region is the South West's epidemic of dieback, a disease caused by the introduced plant pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi . Introduced animals such as feral cats , foxes and rats prey on native wildlife and occupy ecological niches to the detriment of native species. Populations are controlled through 1080 baiting as part of

798-485: The Warren is known to contain 1865 indigenous vascular plant species, and a further 419 naturalised alien species. The endangered flora of the Warren region consists of 28 species, with a further 160 species having been declared Priority Flora under the Department of Environment and Conservation 's Declared Rare and Priority Flora List . The region is considered one of the most important centres of plant endemism in

840-401: The Warren region support only a low diversity of fauna, but much of it is highly endemic. A number of frog species are endemic or nearly so, including the orange-bellied frog ( Geocrinia vitellina ), the white-bellied frog ( Geocrinia alba ), and the sunset frog ( Spicospina flammocaerulea ). Endemic freshwater invertebrates include worms of the family Phreodrilidea , and crayfish of

882-402: The diadromous common galaxias ( Galaxias maculatus ) and spotted galaxias ( Galaxias truttaceus ) have adapted so they can live their life-cycle and reproduce in fresh water. The southwestern snake-necked turtle ( Chelodina colliei ) and western swamp turtle ( Pseudemydura umbrina ) are aquatic species endemic to Southwest Australia. The first evidence of human habitation of the region

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924-801: The dry season precludes the establishment of a characteristic rainforest understory of epiphytes , liverworts , ferns and mosses . Some rainforest relict species do occur, however, such as Anthocercis sylvicola , Albany pitcher plant ( Cephalotus follicularis ) and wild plum ( Podocarpus drouynianus ) . The poorer, lateritic soils, about a quarter of the region, are vegetated by medium forest of jarrah ( Eucalyptus marginata ) , which can grow up to 40m tall, and marri ( Corymbia calophylla ) (up to 60m). Other significant vegetation forms include low woodland of E. marginata and Banksia species (8%); Agonis flexuosa woodlands or scrub on Holocene marine dunes (5%); and swamps supporting sedges (5%) or low woodlands of Melaleuca (4%). As of 2007 ,

966-511: The effects of human induced climate change . Average annual rainfall has declined as much as 20% since the 1970s, declining by 10-20 millimetres each decade. Summertime maximum temperatures have increased by 0.1º to 0.3º C per decade, and the average number of days per year over 40º C in Perth has doubled over the last century. Lower rainfall and higher temperatures have reduced stream flow and inflow into drinking water and irrigation catchments since

1008-461: The genera Cherax and Engaewa . The Warren region falls entirely within what the Department of Agriculture and Food calls the "Intensive Land-use Zone" (ILZ), the area of Western Australia that has been largely cleared and developed for intensive agriculture such as cropping and livestock production. Despite this, only a small amount of the region's natural vegetation has been cleared and given over to agriculture. The proportion of cleared land

1050-462: The hibernation of reptiles and the moulting of swans are all helpful indicators that the seasons are changing. The first permanent European settlement in the region was in 1826 near present-day Albany . European settlers mostly dispossessed the Aboriginal inhabitants, and established extensive agriculture, including wheat, barley, canola, lupins, and oats. They also introduced sheep and cattle to

1092-445: The highly successful Western Shield program. Other threats include human activities related to infrastructure and silviculture , such as roads changing surface runoff patterns, and changes to the fire regime . Because so much of the Warren region is already protected, it has low priority under Australia's National Reserve System . 45.47% of the ecoregion is classified as a terrestrial protected area. Terrestrial connectivity

1134-498: The land and vegetation. Evidence from lake and estuarine sediments and firsthand accounts suggest that fire intervals in well-settled areas were frequent – from one to ten years – compared to unoccupied forests and offshore islands, where fire intervals were 30 to 100 or more years. Frequent burning reduced tree cover and encouraged the growth of grasses, herbs, and low shrubs, fostering open woodlands and savannas and limiting areas of dense forest and thicket. Noongar peoples inhabited

1176-536: The land within ten kilometres (6 mi) of the coast. North of Point D'Entrecasteaux , however, it extends inland almost as far as Nannup and Manjimup . It has an area of about 8,300 square kilometres (3200 mi²), making it about 2.7% of the South West Province , 0.3% of the state, and 0.1% of Australia. It is bounded to the north and east by the Jarrah Forest region. Much of the region

1218-554: The north and east across the centre of Australia, separating Southwest Australia from the other Mediterranean and humid-climate regions of the continent. The region has a wet-winter, dry-summer Mediterranean climate , one of five such regions in the world. During the winter months, westerly winds bring cool weather, clouds, and rainfall to Southwest Australia. In the summer months, the lower-latitude anticyclonic belt, with generally dry easterly winds, moves southwards, increasing temperatures and decreasing rainfall. Tropical cyclones , off

1260-582: The north and the Darling Scarp in the east. It includes all native vegetation remnants greater than one hectare in area on private land, water catchments , state forests and nature reserves , including the Yanchep and Neerabup National Parks . The area has a Mediterranean climate . The site has been identified by BirdLife International as an IBA because it supports 4600–15,000 short-billed black cockatoos during their non-breeding season, with

1302-644: The region, and some clearfelling . There has also previously been some bauxite mining in the area, but this has now ceased, and the mining areas are at least partially reforested. Dams have also been constructed in high-rainfall forest areas. The most important land uses for the region are now biodiversity conservation and tourism. More than half of the remaining vegetation is now in protected areas , including Shannon National Park , D'Entrecasteaux National Park , Mount Frankland National Park , Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park and Walpole-Nornalup National Park . These contain numerous tourist attractions, most notably

Northern Swan Coastal Plain Important Bird Area - Misplaced Pages Continue

1344-513: The region. European settlement also changed the fire regime established by the Aboriginal inhabitants of the land. 109,445 km , or 22.13%, of Southwest Australia's land area is in protected areas. Warren bioregion The Warren region is defined as the coastal sandplain between Cape Naturaliste and Albany. Extending from the ocean to the edge of the Yilgarn craton plateau , for most of its extent it may be adequately approximated as

1386-407: The rest of southwest Australia, in contrast to comparable forest of the south east, there is a low diversity of bird species. Endemism is similarly low, as most South West bird species are habitat generalists with wide distributions. Exceptions include the red-eared firetail ( Stagonopleura oculata ) and the white-breasted robin ( Eopsaltria georgiana ), both of which occur only in the karri forest;

1428-666: The sea. The exclusively freshwater species are endemic to Southwest Australia, as are two estuarine species. The salamanderfish ( Lepidogalaxias salamandroides ) is the sole species in the endemic family Lepidogalaxiidae. Salamanderfish can aestivate during the summer months, an adaptation to the region's dry summers. Other endemic species are the nightfish ( Bostockia porosa ), western mud minnow ( Galaxiella munda ), black-stripe minnow ( Galaxiella nigrostriata ), Balston’s pygmy perch ( Nannatherina balstoni ), western pygmy perch ( Nannoperca vittata ), and western galaxias ( Galaxias occidentalis ). Southwest Australian varieties of

1470-627: The shore of northern Western Australia during the December-to-March northern wet season, occasionally reach as far south as Perth before moving inland, bringing floods and damaging winds to the west coast and rain to the dry interior. Rainfall generally decreases from south to north, and with distance from the coast. The highest rainfall is typically in the Karri Forest Region between Pemberton and Walpole, up to 1,400 mm (55 inches) annually. The region has been experiencing

1512-690: The south coast to the Arrowsmith River north of Perth , most often in areas with 700 mm or more of annual rainfall. Arid regions separate Southwest Australia's freshwater habitats from Australia's other year-round rivers. As with its terrestrial flora, Southwest Australia's Mediterranean climate and biogeographic isolation has given rise to a distinct freshwater ecoregion with many endemic species. There are fifteen freshwater fish species, including nine exclusively freshwater species, three estuarine species adapted to brackish water, and three diadromous species that spend part of their life-cycle in

1554-429: The squirrel-like brush-tailed phascogale ( Phascogale tapoatafa ), quokka ( Setonix brachyurus ), yellow-footed antechinus ( Antechinus flavipes leucogaster ), southern brown bandicoot ( Isoodon obesulus ), and woylie ( Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi ). The first four of these are endangered species and numbers of many of the indigenous marsupials have declined as their habitats are removed and altered. As with

1596-409: The western and southern portions of the region. The Noongar comprised 14 groups, which spoke distinct but mutually-intelligible languages. The Nyoongar seasonal calendar includes six different seasons in a yearly cycle. These are Birak, Bunuru, Djeran, Makuru, Djilba and Kambarang. Each of the six seasons represents and explains the seasonal changes seen annually. The flowering of many different plants,

1638-494: The world's species of sundews ( Drosera ), the bladderwort subgenus Polypompholyx , the Byblis gigantea complex of rainbow plants (composed of two species, Byblis lamellata and B. gigantea ), and the pitcher plant Cephalotus follicularis , sole species in the plant family Cephalotaceae. The honey possum ( Tarsipes rostratus ) is a tiny marsupial endemic to Southwest Australia that feeds on nectar and pollen, and

1680-453: Was 50,000 years ago at Devil's Lair by ancestors of today's Aboriginal people. Aboriginal populations were generally denser on the coastal plain and along the coastal forest edge, and in the interior woodlands and shrublands, particularly near permanent streams and river estuaries. Population was sparse in the forested areas of the south. Offshore islands were likely uninhabited. The Aboriginal inhabitants deliberately set fires to manage

1722-463: Was calculated as 13.2% in 2002, although Beard gave a much larger figure of 31% in 1984. The remaining land is considered to be native vegetation, but this need not be pristine; a substantial proportion of the remaining native vegetation has been degraded by selective logging and other human activities. Historically, logging was the primary land use in the region, and this remains a significant industry. There has been substantial selective logging in

Northern Swan Coastal Plain Important Bird Area - Misplaced Pages Continue

1764-648: Was resurrected in Charles Gardner 's regionalisations of the 1940s and 1950s. In 1980, John Stanley Beard published a phytogeographical regionalisation of the state based on data from the Vegetation Survey of Western Australia . This new regionalisation included a "Warren Botanical District" that is essentially identical with the present-day Warren. By 1984, Beard's phytogeographic regions were being presented more generally as "natural regions", and as such were given more widely recognisable names. Thus

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