Western Australian mulga shrublands

Terrestrial ecoregion in Western Australia

Western Australian Mulga shrublands

Mulga tree (Acacia aneura) in mulga shrubland.

Location of the Western Australian Mulga shrublands ecoregion.

Ecology
Realm| Australasian
Biome| deserts and xeric shrublands
Borders|

List

* Carnarvon xeric shrublands
* Coolgardie woodlands
* Gibson desert
* Great Sandy-Tanami desert
* Pilbara shrublands
* Southwest Australia savanna

Geography
Area| 461,958 km2 (178,363 sq mi)
Country| Australia
State| Western Australia
Coordinates| 26°30′S 119°15′E﻿ / ﻿26.5°S 119.25°E﻿ / -26.5; 119.25
Conservation
Conservation status| Vulnerable
Protected| 4.53%[1]</ref>

The Western Australian Mulga shrublands is a deserts and xeric shrublands ecoregion of inland Western Australia.[2] It is one of Australia's two mulga ecoregions, characterized by dry woodlands of mulga trees (Acacia aneura and related species) interspersed with areas of grassland and scrub.[3][1][4]

## Location and description

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This is a hot, dry area with little rainfall.

The region consists of the Gascoyne and Murchison bioregions of the Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA).[5][6]

The IBRA regions, with Gascoyne in red The IBRA regions, with Murchison in red

## Flora and fauna

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The predominant vegetation is mulga trees, a type of acacia adapted to the hot, dry climate by means of long tap roots. In some areas the mulga trees are surrounded by Eriachne grassland.

Wildlife of the region includes red kangaroos and birds such as emus, Australian bustards and honeyeaters.

Most of the area is uninhabited but there is some mining activity and some sheep grazing, both of which cause damage to native habitats.

## Protected areas

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4.53% of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Protected areas in the ecoregion include:[1]

* Barlee Range Nature Reserve
* Birriliburu Indigenous Protected Area
* Bullock Holes Timber Reserve
* Collier Range National Park
* De La Poer Range Nature Reserve
* Goongarrie National Park
* Matuwa and Kurrara-Kurrara Indigenous Protected Area
* Mount Augustus National Park
* Queen Victoria Spring Nature Reserve
* Toolonga Nature Reserve
* Unnamed WA46847 Nature Reserve
* Wanjarri Nature Reserve

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c "Western Australian Mulga shrublands". Digital Observatory for Protected Areas. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
2. ^ "Western Australian Mulga shrublands". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
3. ^ "Map of Ecoregions 2017". Resolve. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
4. ^ "Western Australian Mulga shrublands". The Encyclopedia of Earth. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
5. ^ Environment Australia. "Revision of the Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) and Development of Version 5.1 - Summary Report". Department of the Environment and Water Resources, Australian Government. Archived from the original on 2006-09-05. Retrieved 2007-01-31.
6. ^ IBRA Version 6.1 data

## External links

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* Media related to Western Australian mulga shrublands at Wikimedia Commons
* "Western Australian Mulga shrublands". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.

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Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA)

* Arnhem Coast
* Arnhem Plateau
* Australian Alps
* Avon Wheatbelt
* Ben Lomond
* Brigalow Belt North
* Brigalow Belt South
* Broken Hill Complex
* Burt Plain
* Cape York Peninsula
* Carnarvon
* Central Arnhem
* Central Kimberley
* Central Mackay Coast
* Central Ranges
* Channel Country
* Cobar Peneplain
* Coolgardie
* Coral Sea
* Cumberland Plain
* Daly Basin
* Dampierland
* Darling Riverine Plains
* Darwin Coastal
* Davenport Murchison Ranges
* Desert Uplands
* Einasleigh Uplands
* Esperance Plains
* Eyre Yorke Block
* Finke
* Flinders Lofty Block
* Furneaux
* Gascoyne
* Gawler
* Geraldton Sandplains
* Gibson Desert
* Great Sandy Desert
* Great Victoria Desert
* Gulf Coastal
* Gulf Fall and Uplands
* Gulf Plains
* Hampton
* Indian Tropical Islands
* Jarrah Forest
* Kanmantoo
* King
* Little Sandy Desert
* MacDonnell Ranges
* Mallee
* Mitchell Grass Downs
* Mount Isa Inlier
* Mulga Lands
* Murchison
* Murray Darling Depression
* Nandewar
* Naracoorte Coastal Plain
* New England Tablelands
* Northern Kimberley
* New South Wales North Coast
* New South Wales South Western Slopes
* Nullarbor Plain
* Ord Victoria Plain
* Pacific Subtropical Islands
* Pine Creek
* Pilbara
* Riverina
* Simpson Strzelecki Dunefields
* South East Coastal Plain
* South East Corner
* South Eastern Highlands
* South Eastern Queensland
* Southern Volcanic Plain
* Stony Plains
* Sturt Plateau
* Subantarctic Islands
* Swan Coastal Plain
* Sydney Basin
* Tanami
* Tasmanian Central Highlands
* Tasmanian Northern Midlands
* Tasmanian Northern Slopes
* Tasmanian South East
* Tasmanian Southern Ranges
* Tasmanian West
* Tiwi Cobourg
* Victoria Bonaparte
* Victorian Midlands
* Warren
* Wet Tropics
* Yalgoo

Bioregions of the National Reserve System
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