The Bungle Bungle Ranges, NT/WA border, Australia Photograph by Gerhard Ortner   Northwestern Australia Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands   87,100 square miles (225,600 square kilometers) -- about the size of Utah and Connecticut combined Vulnerable

· A Place Between
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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A Place Between

The Victoria Plains are a region of interchange, bounded by the Tanami Desert in the south and lush tropical savannas to the north. Many species reach their distribution limits here and there are few endemic species. The hot, humid summers and warm, dry winters support vast Mitchell grass savannas interspersed with eucalyptus woodlands, dominated by bloodwood trees. Tall shrublands of lancewood (a thin acacia tree) may include small slivers of rainforest-affiliated plants. These savannas are also full of wildlife, from the large, kangaroo-like euro to the world’s smallest marsupial, the long-tailed planigale.

Special Features

Arising out of the surrounding grassland and woodland, the unique Bungle Bungle Range is a spectacular sight. The Bungle Bungles are made of sedimentary rock and resemble giant tiger-striped beehives. Over the last 20 million years, uplift and erosion have shaped this magnificent range. Northern nailtail wallabies and euros hop around the range base while short-eared rock-wallabies live high up in the rocks.

	Termites are the major decomposers of the tropical savanna, releasing nutrients bound up in plant matter back into the environment. They also provide a major food source for other animals during the dry season when other insects are not as active.

Wild Side

Birds, including bustards, singing bushlarks, and red-backed fairy-wrens, abound in the grasslands. And when the eucalyptus trees flower, nectar-eating birds, such as lorikeets, friarbirds, and honeyeaters fill the skies. Short-eared rock wallabies sun themselves on rocky outcrops while dingos prowl in packs, searching for their next meal. The tiny long-tailed planigale, a mouse-like marsupial, voraciously preys on grasshoppers, lizards, and even young mammals almost as large as itself. And termite mounds--some of which reach 20 feet (6 m) in height--dot the landscape.

Cause for Concern

Land here is used mostly for cattle grazing and this region has some of the longest established cattle stations in northern Australia. Cattle grazing has led to overgrazing, land degradation, and harmful fire patterns. The natural vegetation has become thicker, with more woody vegetation as fire frequencies have decreased, halted by ranchers because fire is harmful to livestock. There are also large numbers of donkeys and other feral and introduced animals. Some small native mammals are suffering local extinctions or declines because of introduced species or loss of habitat.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.