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Southwest Australia

Biodiversity Hotspot

  • The Southwest Australia Hotspot covers ≈140,000 sq mi.
  • An ancient landscape with desert to Mediterranean climates, colorful forests, and ephemeral wetlands.
  • ≈6,000 plant, 7 mammal, 13 bird, 62 reptile and amphibian species are found only here.
  • Large-scale clearing for agriculture, burning, and mining have caused the loss of >70% of native habitat, putting many species at risk.
  • Conservation efforts, including the creation of national parks and nature reserves, bring hope for recovery.

Underground Orchid
Endangered parasitic plant produces only flowers and no leaves

Numbat
Myrmecobius fasciatus
Endangered
Cousin of the Tasmanian Devil with a tongue almost half their body length

Scarlet Banksia
Banksia coccinea
Form part of coastal forests

Hammer Orchid
Flowers mimics its pollinator

Quokka
Setonix brachyurus
Vulnerable
A kangaroo relative that gets up to 11 lbs and can go weeks without eating, living off the fat stores in their stubby tails

Red-Tailed Black “Karak-ap” Cockatoo
Calyptorhynchus banksia
Vulnerable
Name given by aboriginal people comes from sharp vocalization

Jarrah and Karri Eucalyptus form dense inland forests (signals tree used for graphic)

 

 

Conserving SouthWest Australia

What are the major threats to Southwest Australia?  Agriculture, fires, mining, root diseases, and invasive species have combined to cause the loss of greater than 70% of the vegetation in this region.  

A vast network of national parks, preserves, and corridors of natural vegetation has been developed, often with the help and urging of landowners and the native peoples of the region. Government agencies require detailed conservation assessments for any new land use in the region and require land-swaps for mining endeavors. Citizen scientists are active and work with scientists to identify diversity of plants and animals across conserved pristine lands. 


¿Cuáles son las mayores amenazas del Suroeste de Australia? La agricultura, incendios, minería, enfermedades de las raíces y las especies invasivas se han combinado para causar la pérdida de más de 70% de la vegetación en la region.

Una extensa red de parques nacionales, reservas y corredores de vegetación nacional ha sido desarrollada, a menudo con la avuda y la demanda de los terratenientes y la gente nativa de la región. Las agencias de gobierno requieren detalladas evaluaciones de conservación para cualquier nuevo uso de la tierra en la región y exigen intercambios de tierras para los proyectos mineros. Los ciudadanos cientificos están activos y trabajan con los científicos para identificar la diversidad de las plantas y los animales a lo largo de las impecables tierras conservadas.

Conservation Story

Bush Heritage Australia is working to reconnect the fragmented landscapes of Southwest Australia by creating thriving biodiversity corridors. These corridors link native habitats, helping plants and animals move safely through the landscape.  

 

“We are most proud of our first restoration project, where we reseeded 150 acres on the Chereninup Reserves followed by the restoration of 990 acres on Monjebup Reserve.  Started in 2012, these projects are excellent examples of biodiverse restoration.  The latest project began in 2023 at Ediegarrup Reserve, where 83,000 seedlings were planted and over 440 pounds of native seed sown in just two years. Biodiverse restoration is difficult and costly—and once land is cleared, it is impossible to bring back everything. That’s why it is vital to invest in high-quality restoration that supports carbon storage, protects nature, and advances conservation science.” 

‘Restoring nature is a bit like restoring a house. You start with the big structural components –for nature that is the trees and shrubs –and then you work on the finer details. Unfortunately, most nature restoration projects do not get to the finer details.’ – Fiamma Riviera, Bush Heritage Restoration Ecologist 

La organización Bush Heritage Australia está trabajando para reconectar los paisajes fragmentados del suroeste de Australia creando corredores de biodiversidad que están prosperando. Estos corredores conectan hábitats nativos, ayudando a las plantas y a los animales a moverse de forma segura a través del paisaje.

 

"Estamos muy orgullosos de nuestro primer proyecto de restauración, en donde hemos replantado 150 acres en la reserva de Chereninup seguida de la restauración de 990 acres en la reserva de Monjebup.
Comenzando en 2012, éstos proyectos son excelentes ejemplos de la restauración de la biodiversidad. El proyecto más reciente comenzó en el 2023 en la reserva de Ediegarrup, en donde 83,000 plántulas fueron plantadas y más de 440 libras de semillas nativas sembradas en solo dos años. La restauración de la biodiversidad es difícil y costosa, es imposible traer de vuelta todo. Por eso es vital invertir en la restauración de alta calidad que apoya el almacenamiento del carbón, protege a la naturaleza y avanza en la ciencia de la conservación."
"La restauración de la naturaleza es como la restauración de una casa.
Comienzas con los grandes componentes estructurales - para la naturaleza eso serían los árboles y los arbustos - y luego trabajas en los detalles más finos. Desafortunadamente, la mayoría de los proyectos de restauración no llegan a los detalles finos' - Fiamma
Riviera, Ecología de la restauración de Bush Heritage.

Kangaroo Paw
Anigozanthos flavidus

Greek: anises (unequal), anthos (flower) and flavidus (yellow)

 

  • Native to southwestern Australia. Blooms from October to December.
  • Can reach 3–6 ft in height and 2–4 ft across.
  • Flower color ranges from yellow, orange, red, pink, or green.
  • Grows in well-draining soils, full sun, and light water.

The flowers are reminiscent of a kangaroo’s paw.

Perennial herb with an underground stem, making the plant resistant to fire and drought.

Pollinated by birds and nectar-feeding possums like the honey possum!

Chiddarcooping Water Milfoil
Myriophyllum lapidicola

Endangered

Myriophyllum lapidicola is a short-lived aquatic herb with long, weak stems. It has alternate, small, widely spaced leaves confined to the upper parts of the stems. Some semi-succulent leaves have internal air sacs that help them float.

All populations of this plant species can only exist in “gnamma” holes—cavities in granite rock outcrops. These holes were essential for Indigenous peoples to preserve water in the harsh, arid environment.

These water holes are ephemeral, meaning these granite-lined pools fill only during the rainy monsoon season. Thus, the plants must germinate, grow over 4 feet long, and flower within a matter of weeks.

  • Small, red flowers are found at the top of the plant and float on the surface of the water.
  • Semi-succulent leaves.
  • Limited habitat and extended droughts are the main threats for this species. Currently, the species can only be found in 6 rock pools.

Gnammas of Southwest Australia

  • Gnammas are pools forged in rock over millennia.
  • Pools contain water only weeks to months depending on depth and seasonal rainfall.
  • Gnammas are sacred to some Aboriginal groups and are often the only water source in large parts of arid Southwest Australia.
  • Water is used by humans and animals to sustain life.
  • Contain plants and countless microorganisms that only occur in the pools.
  • Retain a thin layer of soil, which maintains life.

Flowers: Interconnected gnammas retain moisture, providing habitat for a miniature forest of seasonal wildflowers.

Plants & Animals:

  • Quillwort
    Isoetes
  • Rock milfoil
    Myriophyllum
  • Gnammas lizard

Shallow:
After drying, sediment, plants, seeds, and spores are retained for the following year.

Distribution of gnammas where plants in the UTEP herbarium have been collected. (Description labeled to image)

Ironstone Pixie Mop
Petrophile latericola

Critically Endangered

  • This species only has 3 remaining populations in a 2.5 square mile area of southwest Australia.
  • The population has been decreasing since the 90s and only 200 mature plants are left in the wild.
  • All three populations have experienced dieback due to the cinnamon fungus (Phytophthora cinnamomi), a soil-borne mold that causes root rot.
  • “Pollen presenters” are unique floral structures that dangle pollen out of the flower head, possibly to facilitate pollination.
  • Born out of fire! Fires are a natural part of many ecosystems and are essential to the Ironstone Pixie Mop’s reproductive cycle. Fire triggers seed release and germination when it kills the mature plant. The current lack of fires, caused by man-made physical barriers, may be contributing to this species’ decline by disrupting that process.

Photo by Andrew Crawford Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.

Bushy Yate
Eucalyptus lehmanni

  • E. lehmannii grows in mallee form. Many stems grow from a central base to tree height.
  • Opercula are caps formed by fused petals and fall off when flowers mature.
  • Eucalyptus leaves are a food source for ringtail possums and leaf beetles in West Australia.
  • Stem “hollows” can provide habitat for thousands of species.

Distributed in small populations in the far south of WA

  • Perth
  • Indian Ocean
  • Bremer Bay
  • Southern Ocean

The Crowned Mallee
Eucalyptus coronata

Fun Facts:

  • Can grow as tall as a GIRAFFE or more!
  • The adult buds resemble diamonds.
  • This plant produces a caramel-flavored honey pollen and nectar!
  • The leaves are used to make eucalyptus oils!

Conservation Status:

  • This plant is listed as “vulnerable.”
  • Main threats are wildfires and maintenance activities.

Location: Australia

Habitat:

  • Grows in skeletal sandy soils.
  • Found on rocky quartzite hillsides.