Scorching sandy expanse of the Great Victoria Desert

Scorching sandy expanse of the Great Victoria Desert

The Greater Australian Interior Desert & Shrublands (AU7) ecoregion, spanning expansive arid and semi-arid landscapes in central and southwest Australia, is grappling with significant conservation challenges yet offers promising opportunities for preserving biodiversity and upholding traditional ecological stewardship.

Situated primarily in Australia, this ecoregion covers an area of 42,402 square kilometers, as outlined in units of 1,000 hectares. The conservation target for this region is set at 94% of the Global Safety Net (GSN1) goal, with a current protection level of 3%.

The Great Victoria Desert, a global reptile diversity hotspot, is home to the vibrant thorny devil (Moloch horridus), among a hundred documented reptile species. This largely yellow lizard sustains itself on ant diets and morning dew collected on its densely spiked thorns.

The desert's vegetation varies, from woodlands of eucalyptus and grasslands to gibber plains and salt flats, providing diverse habitats for numerous vertebrate species. While many of these species, such as the malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata) and the great desert skink (Egernia kintorei), have relatively wide distributions, others, like the endangered chestnut-breasted whiteface (Aphelocephala pectoralis), have restricted ranges.

The ecoregion's mammalian fauna includes the endangered sandhill dunnart (Sminthopsis psammophila), the endangered marsupial mole (Notoryctes typhlops), and the vulnerable mulgara (Dasycercus cristicauda). The greater stick-nest rat (Leporillus conditor) remains in the region, while several species, like the pig-footed bandicoot (Chaeropus ecaudatus), the short-tailed hopping mouse (Notomys amplus), and the long-tailed hopping mouse (N. longicaudatus), have been lost or extirpated.

Threatened plant species count nine, and eleven and four are the respective numbers for threatened mammal and bird species. Reptiles also face threats, with one species identified as threatened. Limited grazing or habitat clearing occurs, although military activities have led to road construction and radiation from nuclear tests in certain areas. Feral rabbits, mice, foxes, feral cats, and dingoes further degrade native vegetation and threaten wildlife populations.

Despite conserving the largest conservation areas in South Australia, such as the Unnamed Conservation Park and the Pitjantjatjara lands, conservation efforts are limited. Other protected areas include the Gibson Desert Nature Reserve, Mamungari Conservation Park, Warburton, Yulara, and Tallaringa Conservation Park.

For the next decade, priority conservation actions include implementing recovery and protection plans for the sandhill dunnart and malleefowl; expanding population control programs for feral cat, rabbit, and fox, particularly within key protected areas; and ensuring that crucial Acacia corridors across the ecoregion remain intact.

The future of the AU7 ecoregion rests on the delicate balance between sustainable development and robust, science-based, and Indigenous-guided conservation strategies.

Relevant Enrichment Data:- The AU7 ecoregion encompasses vast, arid to semi-arid lands in central and southwest Australia, facing significant conservation challenges but promising biodiversity preservation and traditional ecological management opportunities.- National and state protections, legislative frameworks, and international cooperation guide conservation efforts across this ecoregion.- Traditional Aboriginal burning practices (fire-stick farming) contribute to increasing landscape heterogeneity, supporting biodiversity by creating diverse habitat mosaics and enhancing food resources for both humans and wildlife.- Threatened habitats in the ecoregion are subject to fragmentation from pastoralism, mining, and infrastructure development, threatening their connectivity and ecosystem health.- Climate change, invasive species, habitat fragmentation, altered fire regimes, and limited resources for conservation pose key challenges for the AU7 ecoregion.- To safeguard the future of the AU7 ecoregion, efforts should focus on expanding and connecting protected areas, supporting Indigenous land management, controlling invasive species, monitoring and recovering threatened species, and promoting sustainable land use.

1. To ensure the protection of bioregions like the Greater Australian Interior Desert & Shrublands (AU7), it is essential to implement a global safety net for nature conservation and environmental-science research.
2. As the health-and-wellness of various species in the AU7 ecoregion depends on habitat preservation and traditional ecological stewardship, robust, science-based, and Indigenous-guided conservation strategies should be prioritized.
3. The AU7 ecoregion's future will entail overcoming challenges such as climate change, invasive species, habitat fragmentation, altered fire regimes, and limited resources, while focusing on expanding and connecting protected areas, supporting Indigenous land management, and controlling invasive species to promote sustainable development.

Read also: