A Closer Look at the Jarrah-Karri Ecoregion in Western Australia

1. A Closer Look at the Jarrah-Karri Ecoregion in Western Australia Planet Timbers Unit 5, 40 Hutton Street Osborne Park, Western Australia 6017, Australia 08 9444 5055

2. The Jarrah-Karri forest is an Australian ecoregion that extends along the Indian Ocean coast in southwestern Australia. The jarrah and karri are giant eucalyptus trees that dominate the tree flora of Australia. Jarrah trees can grow up to 130 feet in height while karri trees reach 300 feet. Australia’s timber industry relies on these two important species, which is why conservation of jarrah-karri forests and shrublands is a top priority of the World Wide Fund for Nature. Not only do these forests produce valuable timber, the forest undergrowth is very moist and dense and hosts a variety of shrubs, many colourful flowers and provides habitat for numerous birds and marsupials.

3. Threats to the Region There are several human activities that can threaten the biodiversity of the karri-jarrah ecoregion, which is why there are strict regulations that govern it. The continent’s timber trade rely on the logging of karri and jarrah trees and other tree species that are present in these forests, which makes logging a primary issue to the ecoregion’s biodiversity. Selective logging, clearfelling and other human activities have reduced a substantial portion of the remaining vegetation. Records also show that logging, agricultural activities and other environmental factors in the past resulted in the population decrease of native species. The introduction of invasive species into the forests also poses a threat to the native wildlife population. Other factors that may also have a negative impact on the ecoregion are tourism, mining, agriculture and man-made structures such as dams and irrigation. Road constructions also change surface runoff patterns and the fire regime.

4. Preservation Efforts One of the many advantages of declaring a region as an ecoregion is that its native wildlife will get the right protection and conservation it needs. More than half of the remaining vegetation is now under protection and tourism activities are low-impact and focus on bringing awareness to the people about biodiversity conservation. The national parks in the region include Shannon National Park, Mount Frankland National Park, D’Entrecasteaux National Park, Walpole-Nornalup National Park and Leeuwin- Naturaliste National Park. As a result of these conservation efforts, big portions of karri and jarrah forests are significantly recovering. Areas cleared for bauxite mining in the past are now nurseries for young karri and jarrah trees. These data prove that working at the ecoregion scale is an effective method in conservation planning and action. It shows that it is more feasible and effective if the conservation project sets meaningful and strategic goals specific and coherent to the needs of the ecoregion’s native population. Moreover, beyond its significance for biodiversity, the ecoregion also plays an important role in the cultural heritage of human communities. Resources: http://www.agriculture.gov.au/forestry/industries http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/153948/ http://pickeringbrookheritagegroup.com/timberind.html