Australian Grasslands:
Some Facts

Why save the grasslands?
A large number of plant and animal species live in what is left of the native grasslands.

An ecosystem means a community of plants and animals interacting with one another within a habitat.
The relationship between the species within an ecosystem is called biodiversity.

Land clearing
The clearing of huge areas of native vegetation to convert land for other uses is the main cause of the loss of biodiversity.

It is also the main cause of land degradation in Australia. In some places, so much native vegetation has been removed that natural ecosystems are threatened.

Some facts about the destruction of all kinds of native vegetation:
More than 600,000 hectares of bushland in Australia is destroyed each year (90% in Queensland and NSW).
Australia is among the 5 main countries that clear the most native vegetation, including forests.
There are about 2 million hectares of temperate grasslands in south-eastern Australia, but only about 10,000 ha is estimated to be in good condition.
About 80% of woodlands in Victoria and NSW have been removed, to the degree where a number of animal species face extinction.
Leadbeater's Possums nest in hollows in old eucalypts inVictorian highlands

About two-thirds of the Queensland Mulga lands and a large amount of the western NSW Mulga lands have been reduced or cleared.
About 3% of temperate eucalypt woodlands remain in south western WA, cleared for wheat.

What can you do?
You can help revegetate a bit of Australia, in your garden, school or local area. Revegetating means putting original vegetation back into the landscape. It involves planting species that were in that area originally. This means trees as well as the understorey shrubs and grasses.

In your garden you can use native plants instead of introduced plants. This can attract and support wildlife, by providing food and shelter. Native plants need less water, which means we use less of this valuable resource.

In the bush, avoid dumping rubbish and chemicals or gathering firewood. Discourage others from doing so. Fallen trees or dead trees with hollows are important habitats in the ecosystem and should be left in the bush.

Take part in Clean up Australia days and similar local clean ups. Check out the Clean up Australia online website.

Control weeds and feral animals. They threaten native species. Keep your cat inside at night.

Check out organisations such as 'Friends of...' groups in your local area. They need volunteers.

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle! That way we can reduce the resources we waste and reduce the amount of waste we generate. It's good for the environment generally.

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If you use any part of this in your work, list the source in your bibliography like this: Australian Grasslands (2002). [Online], Available: www.kidcyber.com.au

Find out about other biomes:water .. rainforest .. tundra .. desert .. taiga ..grasslan