Williams, Stephen E., Scheffers, Brett R., and Isaac, Joanne L. (2014) Australian tropical rainforests. In: Lindenmayer, David, Dovers, Stephen, and Morton, Chris, (eds.) Ten Commitments Revisited: securing Australia's future environment. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, VIC, Australia, pp. 83-89.

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Abstract

[Extract] Tropical montane cloud forest is a rare environment, defined and limited by the persistent presence of clouds and mists, and accounts for only 0.26% of the Earth's land surface (Bubb et al. 2004). Despite this small area, tropical montane systems contain ~25% of all terrestrial biodiversity and therefore represent important centres of biodiversity, evolution and cultural significance. Australia's only tropical montane forest occurs in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, in North Queensland. This globally significant region is only 0.1 % of Australia's land mass, but contains ~30% of Australia's vertebrate biodiversity, of which almost 100 species occur nowhere else on Earth (Williams 2006). In conjunction with the Great Barrier Reef, these amazing natural systems bring in billions of dollars per year to the regional and national economy.

Item ID:	37245
Item Type:	Book Chapter (Research - B1)
ISBN:	978-1-4863-0167-6
Date Deposited:	22 Feb 2015 23:02
FoR Codes:	06 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 0602 Ecology > 060208 Terrestrial Ecology @ 100%
SEO Codes:	96 ENVIRONMENT > 9603 Climate and Climate Change > 960305 Ecosystem Adaptation to Climate Change @ 50% 96 ENVIRONMENT > 9603 Climate and Climate Change > 960307 Effects of Climate Change and Variability on Australia (excl. Social Impacts) @ 50%
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