Near Kalgoorlie, Western Australia Photograph by Michael Thompson   Western Australia Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub   53,100 square miles (137,400 square kilometers) -- about the size of Arkansas and Rhode Island combined Vulnerable

· Poor Soils, Unique Eucalypts
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Poor Soils, Unique Eucalypts

Poor drainage and sandy, weathered soils that have few nutrients characterize this ecoregion. But these harsh soil conditions are no trouble for the plants that grow in them. Diverse woodlands, rich in endemic eucalypts, grow on the region's low greenstone hills, while scrubs grow on the sandplains.

Special Features

This region, also referred to as the Southwestern Interzone, is where the Mediterranean climate of the southwest gradually fades into the more arid climate of central Australia. And as the land shifts from places with more rainfall to those with less, the vegetation changes, too. Scrublands rich in endemic proteas, a type of flower, in the west gradually give way to scrublands with many endemic acacia trees in the east. Species-rich kwongan heathland communities reach their eastern limits here.

	Mallee fowl eggs incubate inside their mound nests for eight months. During that time the males guard the nest and add material or open up air holes so that the temperature inside the nest never varies more than one degree from the optimum temperature of 92°F (33°C).

Wild Side

From harmless lizards called thorny devils that spend their days hunting for ants to venomous desert death adders, this ecoregion is rich in reptiles. It’s also home to many other animals. The harsh cry of the laughing kookabura rings out over the woodlands by day, replaced by the screams and barks of the barking owl after the sun goes down. Another bird--the mallee fowl--is one of Australia’s more interesting endemics. They live on the ground and build huge mound nests that may be four feet (1.2 m) high. Mammals in the ecoregion include the echidna, or spiny anteater, which lay eggs, and many marsupials, including the brushtail possum, red kangaroo, euro, and bilby, or rabbit-eared bandicoot.

Cause for Concern

With its nutrient-poor soils, this area is not suitable for agriculture. But it has long been mined for gold and nickel. Cutting of woodlands for fuel and building material for mining operations have taken a toll on this ecoregion.

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