Rainforests And Vine Thickets

In Australia, rainforests and vine thickets are closed-canopy vegetation types that typically occur in a more mesic habitat than the immediately surrounding sclerophyllous vegetation. Formerly widespread across much of the continent (> 5 million years ago), they now occur in an arc from the Kimberley region of Western Australia through the northern parts of the Northern Territory, Cape York Peninsula, and down the east coast through central and southern Queensland, to NSW, Victoria and Tasmania. In eastern mainland Australia most rainforest occurs to the east and south of the Great Dividing Range, with pockets of dry rainforest and vine thickets occurring further inland. Rainforest occurs under a diverse set of rainfall regimes, from 500-600 mm per year and 5-6 dry months, to several metres of rain and essentially no dry months per year. Although rainfall is important in shaping landscape patterns and the distribution of rainforests, soil fertility and fire also play a significant role in determining where rainforests occur. Rainforests harbour a disproportionate percentage of Australia's native vascular plant diversity; collectively, rainforest species account for nearly 20% of native species in just 0.3% of the area. About 66% of the pre-European extent of rainforest remains, but some types have been cleared to near-extinction. Rainforest clearing has now largely stopped, and much of what is left is reserved. However, rainforests still face significant threats including the legacy impacts of past fragmentation, invasive species, and future threats from climate change.