Australia Travel & Tourism Guide
Environment of Australia
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The koala and the eucalyptus forming an iconic Australian pair
Although most of Australia is semi-arid or desert, it includes a diverse range of habitats from alpine heaths to tropical rainforests, and is recognised as a megadiverse country. Because of the continent's great age, its extremely variable weather patterns, and its long-term geographic isolation, much of Australia's biota is unique and diverse. About 85% of flowering plants, 84% of mammals, more than 45% of birds, and 89% of in-shore, temperate-zone fish are endemic. Australia has the greatest number of reptiles of any country, with 755 species. Many of Australia's ecoregions, and the species within those regions, are threatened by human activities and introduced plant and animal species. The federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 is a legal framework for the protection of threatened species. Numerous protected areas have been created under the national Biodiversity Action Plan to protect and preserve unique ecosystems; 64 wetlands are registered under the Ramsar Convention, and 16 World Heritage Sites have been established. Australia was ranked 13th in the world on the 2005 Environmental Sustainability Index. Australian forests often contain a wide variety of eucalyptus trees and are mostly located in higher rainfall regions.
Most Australian woody plant species are evergreen and many are adapted to fire and drought, including many eucalypts and acacias. Australia has a rich variety of endemic legume species that thrive in nutrient-poor soils because of their symbiosis with rhizobia bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi. Among well-known Australian fauna are the monotremes; a host of marsupials, including the kangaroo, the koala, and the wombat; the saltwater and freshwater crocodiles; and birds such as the emu and the kookaburra. Australia is home to some of the most venomous snakes in the world. The dingo was introduced by Austronesian people who traded with Indigenous Australians around 3000 BCE. Many plant and animal species became extinct soon after first human settlement, including the Australian megafauna; others have become extinct since European settlement, among them the thylacine.
Climate change has become an increasing concern in Australia in recent years, with many Australians considering it to be the most important issue facing the country. The first Rudd Ministry has initiated several emission reduction activities; Rudd's first official act, on his first day in office, was to sign the instrument of ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. Nevertheless Australia's carbon dioxide emissions per capita are among the highest in the world, lower than only several other industrialised nations including the United States, Canada, and Norway. Rainfall in Australia has increased over the past century, both nationwide and for all four quadrants of the nation. Despite this beneficial effect of climate change, water restrictions are currently in place in many regions and cities of Australia in response to chronic shortages due to urban population increases and localised drought.
Source : Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Australia Travel & Tourism Guides
Adelaide, Australia
Adelaide Glenelg, Australia
Airlie Beach, Australia
Albury, Australia
Alice Springs, Australia
Ayers Rock, Australia
Barossa Valley, Australia
Bedarra Island, Australia
Brampton Island, Australia
Brisbane, Australia
Broome, Australia
Bundaberg, Australia
Byron Bay, Australia
Cairns, Australia
Caloundra, Australia
Canberra, Australia
Cape Tribulation, Australia
Coffs Harbour New, Australia
Cooinda, Australia
Coolum Beach, Australia
Cradle Mountain, Australia
Darwin, Australia
Day Dream Island, Australia
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Dunkin Island, Australia
Fraser Island, Australia
Gold Coast, Australia
Hamilton Island, Australia
Hayman Island, Australia
Heron Island, Australia
Hervey Bay, Australia
Hobart, Australia
Jabiru, Australia
Kakadu, Australia
Katoomba, Australia
Kings Canyon, Australia
Launceston, Australia
Leura, Australia
Lizard Island, Australia
Long Island, Australia
Mackay, Australia
Magnetic Island, Australia
Melbourne, Australia
Melbourne Airport, Australia
Mossman, Australia
Nelson Bay, Australia |
New Castle, Australia
Noosa, Australia
Palm Cove, Australia
Perth, Australia
Perth Scarborough, Australia
Phillip Island, Australia
Pokolbin, Australia
Port Douglas, Australia
Port Macquarie, Australia
Rockhampton, Australia
South Molle Beach, Australia
Sydney, Australia
Sydney Airport, Australia
Sydney Bondi Beach Travel, Australia
Sydney Coogee, Australia
Sydney Manly, Australia
Sydney North-Sydney Travel, Australia
Terrigal, Australia
Townsville, Australia
Yeppoon, Australia |
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