Fauna at risk While still existing in other parts of WA, the Bilby: a charismatic marsupial distinguished by its “bunny-like ears”, has sadly been lost from the SWCC Region forever and more threatened species are at risk of being lost. There are 2,203*(Ala.org.au, 2018) fauna species in the SWCC Region, 58 of which are threatened, seven…
Flora at risk Western Australian flora is arguably some of the most unique in the world and has fascinated wildflower enthusiasts for generations. 78 flora species are threatened (DBCA, 2018) in the SWCC Region i.e: flora species which are declared as rare or likely to become extinct under the Wildlife Conservation Act 1950. There are 13,903…
Threatened Aquatic Species Between 2001 and 2017, the list of threatened aquatic species (including wetland dependent birds) in the South West NRM region has increased from five to 23. This represents a 360% increase in aquatic species listed as threatened between 2001 and 2017. These are species deemed either rare or at risk of extinction,…
Fish Kill Events The number of fish kill events appears to be stable between 2000 and 2017 with between zero and three events per year in rivers and estuaries across the South West NRM region. The exception to this was 2015 when six events occurred, however no events were recorded in the last two years…
Effects of rainfall decline to date Rainfall in the south-west of Western Australia is now around 16 per cent below the long-term average. Less rainfall results in less water flowing into rivers and aquifers and to date there has been up to a 50% reduction in average run-off into rivers and streams, and up to…
Extent of water repellence Soil water repellence is the resistance of soils to wetting, sometimes to the extent that they remain dry even after significant rainfall events or irrigation. Most of the soils (including in coastal and forest areas) in the South West NRM region are severely water repellent affecting agriculture production. This is a…
Projected rise in temperature The projected changes in temperature for the South West are severe enough to result in large parts of the current ranges of many species becoming unsuitable for those species. Changes in average annual and seasonal temperatures can result in conditions that make a specific location unsuitable for that plant to grow…