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The Effects of Climate Change on Australian Tropical Rainforests. By Emma Hooper and Cassandra Gillard. About Australia’s Tropical Rainforests. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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The Effects of Climate Change on Australian Tropical
Rainforests
By Emma Hooper and Cassandra
Gillard
About Australia’s Tropical Rainforests
The tropical rainforests of Australia are beautiful tourist attractions, boasting
many rare plants and animals found in no other Australian ecosystems. Australian
tropical rainforests receive at least 1.3m of rain per year, an incredible amount. This is
why they are so lush and green and are able to support many species of animals that temperate rainforests can’t. The Daintree rainforest is Australia’s main
tropical rainforest.
Flora Found in Australian Tropical Rainforests
Australian tropical rainforests are home to many amazing and unique plants; in fact, the Daintree rainforest contains 12 of the
19 primitive plant families found on Earth. In Australia’s tropical rainforests, you can
find:• 65% of Australia’s ferns
• 21% of Australia’s cycads• 37% of Australia’s conifers
• 30% of Australia’s orchid species.
Fauna found in Australian Tropical Rainforests
The range of animals found in Australia’s tropical rainforests is incredibly huge. In
these rainforests, you can find: • 36% of Australia’s mammals• 30% of Australia’s marsupials• 60% of Australia’s butterflies
• 48% of Australia’s bird species• 25% of Australia’s frogs and reptiles
• 37% of Australia’s freshwater fish• 50% of Australia’s bat species
Australian tropical rainforests are home to many species of endangered frogs.
Impact of Climate Change
Climate change has impacted greatly on many ecosystems around the
world, including Australian tropical rainforests. If nothing is done to
combat climate change, the numbers of plants and animals found in these rainforests will fall even faster than
they already are.
There are many animals that rely greatly on plants for survival. These animals use the plants for food and
habitat purposes. Unless something is done about climate change, these
already endangered plants will soon become extinct, leaving these animals
stranded. In Australian tropical rainforests there are lots of
endangered animals including many species of frogs. If the world’s
temperature continues to rise at the same rate it is, we will lose many
precious species of animals.
Rising sea levels are also a problem. Because of climate change, sea levels will rise at a frightening rate, causing coastal erosion and threatening parts
of Australia’s tropical rainforests. If temperatures rise by 0.8°C, we could
lose at least 50% of many, many special and unique species. We need to do something about climate change so that the next generation will get a
chance to see these precious species.
What Needs to be Done?
Ultimately, to reduce the impact of climate change on Australian tropical rainforests, we need to severely cut down our greenhouse gas emissions.
Now, this may seem impossible for one average person, but we can all do little things to help reduce global
greenhouse gas emissions.
Some little things that the average person can do to help reduce greenhouse gas
emissions include:• Turning off lights when you leave a room• Turning off appliances when not in use
• Fixing all dripping taps• Turning off appliances at the wall
• Switching to natural energy sources• Using public transport/walking/riding a
bike
Bibliography
• www.skyrail.com.au/rainforests.html• www.daintreerainforest.com/index.html• www.anbg.gov.au/cpbr/cd-keys/rfk/abo
ut.html• www.anbg.gov.au/education/docs/
rainforest-2004.doc• www.climatechange.gov.au/impacts/
publications/pubs/fs-national.pdf
By Emma Hooper and Cassandra Gillard