Kangaroo Island, South Australia Photograph by John Benoit   Island just off the southern coast of Australia Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub   9,200 square miles (23,800 square kilometers) -- about the size of Vermont Critical/Endangered

· Diversity in the Eucalyptus Woodlands
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Diversity in the Eucalyptus Woodlands

In this ecoregion, eucalyptus woodlands slope down the hills from Mount Lofty into the South Australia capital of Adelaide. Hidden in these sloping woodlands is a broad array of marsupials and birds, as well as unique mammals that lay eggs.

Special Features

Rainfall is moderate in this ecoregion, which is characterized by hot, dry summers and cool, mild winters. Endemic orchids abound in the Mount Lofty Ranges. Many of these delicate flowers are endangered as a result of habitat loss. Another prominent species is mallee box, a small eucalyptus tree with rough, fibrous bark. On the plains and slopes below Mount Lofty, these trees mix with southern cypress pine and golden wattle, an acacia tree. Low shrubs and flowering plants line the forest floor. Many of the same species are found offshore on Kangaroo Island, but they tend to be smaller.

	Although Kangaroo Island may have been spared the introduction of European animals such as rabbits and foxes, a number of Australian animals not naturally found here have been introduced from the mainland. Koalas, for example, have become a serious problem on the island, extensively damaging the eucalyptus vegetation they eat.

Wild Side

Western gray kangaroos bound through woodlands in small social groups, searching for coarse grasses. Tammar wallabies, which resemble small kangaroos, shelter in low, dense scrub, coming out at night to feed in open, grassy areas. The echidna, or spiny anteater, searches for ants at dawn and dusk. Echidnas are monotremes, unusual mammals that lay eggs, have small, pronounced snouts, and are covered in spines. Kangaroo Island’s only endemic mammal is the rare Kangaroo Island dunnart, a mouse-like marsupial. Glossy black cockatoos, which actually have a brown head and black wings, feed quietly in open forests, while galahs--another kind of cockatoo--fly noisily overhead. The small and shy Mount Lofty Ranges southern emu-wren survives only in patches of wet and coastal heath vegetation on the Fleurieu Peninsula, south of Adelaide. This bird is such a poor flier that it is unable to cross cleared areas. With its habitat fragmented, only small, unviable populations are created. The emu-wren is named for its long tail, made of six individual feathers that resemble those of an emu.

Cause for Concern

This area has largely been cleared for agriculture and development, replacing native woodlands with fruit orchards. Loss of vegetation leads to a decline in native birds, which in turn leads to less pollination of remaining vegetation. Timber has been harvested from the top of the Mount Lofty Ranges, but fortunately major reforestation programs are being planned. Kangaroo Island is a significant wildlife refuge because non-native species such as rabbits and foxes are absent.

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