Kosciuszko NP, New South Wales, Australia Photograph by Peter Sundstrom   Southeastern Australia Montane Grasslands and Shrublands   4,600 square miles (12,000 square kilometers) -- about the size of Connecticut Relatively Stable/Intact

· The Lifeblood of Australia
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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The Lifeblood of Australia

The Australian Alps constitute only three tenths of one percent of the total land area found in Australia, but they receive nearly 25 percent of the countryâs precipitation. The ecoregionâs rivers provide water to more than half of the countryâs population. They also sustain a widespread variety of plants and animals.

Special Features

The Australian Alps are more than 372 miles (600 km) long, passing through New South Wales, Victoria, and the Australian Capital Territory. The high peaks and many of the highest plateaus are rounded. Deep alpine and subalpine humus soils have developed that are rich with decaying plant or animal matter. Fifty species of eucalyptus trees can be found here÷about 10 percent of all Australian eucalypt species. The snow gum is the most common tree and is stunted and twisted at higher altitudes. At lower altitudes, tree canopies can reach almost 200 feet (about 60 m) in height. The higher alpine vegetation is diverse. Vegetation ranges from alpine herblands to fens and bogs and from feldmark communities to tussock grasslands. Short herbfields are carpet-like and may be covered with snow for eight months of the year. To survive in this environment, most plants are dormant during the winter and then grow very rapidly during the short warm season. The Alps are known for their colorful wildflowers, which all bloom at about the same time.

One of the most interesting animals here is the Alpine thermocolor grasshopper, which can change color from black to blue-green to maintain its body temperature. Early in the morning, the grasshopper is black, which allows it to absorb as much heat as possible. By turning blue-green later in the day, it can reflect some of the sunâs rays. The mountain spotted grasshopper uses a different method to regulate body temperature -- it has an antifreeze-like chemical in its blood in winter.

Wild Side

The alpine environment poses the same challenges to animals that it does to plants: cold winters, harsh winds, limited sunlight, and long snow cover. As a result, few mammals are especially adapted to this alpine and subalpine habitat. Kangaroos can be seen at lower altitudes, and possums, wombats, echidnas, and wallabies have been seen in subalpine areas. These animals are all marsupials÷mammals that give birth to premature young and then carry them in a pouch while they develop further. Wombats are stocky, gray burrowers that are common throughout southeastern Australia. Echidnas are smaller marsupials, also known as spiny anteaters. They have a long snout, are covered in spines and fur, and use their sticky tongues to capture ants. Wallabies are similar to kangaroos, but smaller. The only mammal that is well-adapted to high altitude living here is the mountain pygmy possum, a tiny marsupial. It is the only marsupial that is known to hibernate.

Cause for Concern

The delicate alpine plants here face no serious threats because they are wholly protected by national parks. Threats in this region include increased tourism and development and waste disposal. At lower altitudes, introduced plants, domestic livestock grazing, feral and introduced animals, commercial agriculture, and forestry operations are growing problems.

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