Climate Change and Australia's Rainforests
Thirty million years ago most of Australia was clad in rainforest, but as the continent drifted northwards she moved into hotter and drier latitudes, and the rainforest retreated to damp sites, mainly in the east. Rainforest today has a refugial or relict distribution, occurring in scattered patches where the soil remains relatively moist and the topography or climate provides some protection from fire. But now there is human-induced climate change posing a new threat to Australia’s rainforest. By increasing temperatures and (at least in south-eastern Australia) reducing rainfall, the climate change of today is reinforcing the trend of the past 30 million years that led to massive rainforest retreat.
Past periods of aridity promoted the evolution of animals and plants with wide climatic tolerances, which now dominate most of Australia. These climatically tolerant (eurythermal) species can be contrasted with the rainforest species, many of which appear to have narrow climatic tolerances (leading them to be called ‘stenotherms’). |
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Past periods of aridity caused the extinction of many rainforest animals. Fossil remains show that there were Tree-kangaroos in Victoria and Cassowaries on the Darling Downs. In the Big Scrub remnants in northern New South Wales there are trees producing big fruits obviously designed for dispersal by Cassowaries, but the nearest Cassowaries are now in north Queensland .The climate change of today obviously poses a threat to the rainforest fauna that remains. The species at most risk are those confined to montane rainforest.
In north Queensland, the iconic Golden Bowerbird, Green Ringtail, Daintree Ringtail, Lemuroid Ringtail, Lumholtz’s Tree-kangaroo and Leaftail Gecko are confined to upland rainforest, not occurring at all in rainforest at low altitudes. In northern New South Wales and southern Queensland the species facing a similar risk include the Albert’s Lyrebird, Noisy Scrub-bird, and various lizards and frogs. Climate modelling shows that in north Queensland, lowland rainforest should increase under climate change, but this expansion won’t help the animals and plants confined to upland rainforest, which will contract in area. If you care about these animals and plants, reduce your greenhouse emissions today! While Rainforest Rescue does not currently provide carbon off-sets as such, you can help reduce society's carbon footprint by supporting one of the following projects: |
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