Kakadu National Park- Northern Territory, Australia

1. Kakadu National Park- Northern Territory, Australia By: Angela Chan 9GC

2. Kakadu National park • Kakadu National park is located in Northern Territory, Australia. The park is 22 kilometres east of Darwin and has a area of 6, 000 square kilometres • The major landforms(how the land was made naturally) and habitats in Kakadu National Park include an entire tropical river and its catchment, a sandstone plateau and escarpment, savannah woodlands, open forests, rivers, floodplains, mangroves and mudflats. • This National park is protected 1976 so the animals and the plants wont disappear • Rock paintings from the Aborigines in the prehistoric times are located in Kakadu National park

3. Native Fauna (Native Animals) • There are many different types of Native Flora and fauna in Kakadu National park • There is over 1700 flora species, and has 64 native Fauna There are 26 species of bats, 128 species of reptiles, 37 species of skinks, 12 species of geckos, 29 spices of snakes, 2 species of crocodiles, 6 freshwater turtles, around 274 birds, 1500 spices of moth and butterflies living in Kakadu National park

4. Native Flora (native plants) • There are Eucalypt forest, woodland, Moon land forest, paper swaps, Sapphire Scrubland, mangroves that live in Kakadu National park • These places are were animals live.

5. Introduced Species • Introduced species are animals or plants that are brought to a country from another country • Species that was introduced to Australia are cane toads, pigs, bees, Mimosa, Saliva, and water Buffalo

6. Damages of the native flora and fauna from the introduced species • Introduced animals were pests to Australia and of cause Kakadu national park • Pigs: these pigs are feral pigs meaning that they escaped from their homes, which is the farm. They now are spreadedover austrlaia and in Kakaudu national in high rainfall areas which are places that rains more. The pigs are hard to catch and they breed a lot. The pigs hunts for a lots of all kinds of animals they can find like lizards, frogs and smaller animals. This cans make the native animals to get indagered. • Cane toads: Cane toads are poisonous. Cane toads were introduced to Australia to control the native grey back cane beetle because they were a pest to sugar cane. However many native animals like the snake, hawks, goannas dies from hunting for cane toads. The tadploes of the native frogs dies becase the cane toad tadpoles are posionus.

7. Continue of Damages of the native flora and fauna from the introduced species • Mimosa: Mimosa is a type of plant that is from South America. It was originally introducted to Darwin's Botanic garderns. It was escaped and is in Northern terrortory and is drinking up Northern terrertory’s rivers/lakes and creeks. It is slowly spreading in Kakadu national park and it is very hard to get rid of because the stuff to kill it can harm the native animals and plants. • Bees: European honey bees are all over Kakadu National Park. They compete with native bees for pollen and take over tree hallows from native birds and mammals. The native honey bees have lessened in numbers in the past few years. • Salvias: Salvias is a type of floating fern that came from South America. It forms dense mats which block sunlight. Water plants don’t get engough sunlight. This plant is a very serious threat to Kakudu’swetlants

8. Government initiatives to help the damages of the introduced species • There is a Gagudju Association Inc. that the government made which is for the Gagudju people receive royalties that is receiving $5 million every year. The Gagudju people use the money for the park’s management. • The government hires around 63 staff employees, to insure the damages of the damages caused by the introduced species, keep tourist and fire at a minimum

9. Possible ways to help the national park • Don’t litter because you won’t know were that rubbish would end up to. It might end up at Kakadu national park and the animals might mistake that into food and they will die from choking. • If you were to go to Kakadu national park listen to what the people there say and don’t go to places that you can’t go because there is endangered animals so that they don’t go die out.

10. Bibliography • Images • http://www.wildplaces.net.au/kakadu.htm • aptouring.com.au • http://www.outback-australia-travel-secrets.com/image-files/kakadu-2.jpg • http://www.ntitours.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Kakadu-rock-art.jpg • http://cloud.pleasetakemeto.com/photos/ims-australia/k/kakadu-national-park/gallery_678/kakadu-national-park-38235.jpg • http://craighodges.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/animal-safety-sign-at-aurora-kakadu-resort.jpg?w=450 • http://www.ramsar.org/pictures_2009/Kakadu%20285_yellow_water_310509_sarah_stuart-smith.jpg • http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/kakadu/nature/habitats-lowlands.html • http://www.travels.tl/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Water-buffalo-in-the-wetlands.jpg • http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/201002/r516883_2836787.jpg • http://cdn.physorg.com/newman/gfx/news/hires/2009/toxictoadsta.jpg • http://www.thehoneygatherers.com/images3.1/stock/Anglais/20Bee-Mexico-Melipona/Bee-Mexico-Melipona33.jpg • http://dnr.state.il.us/stewardship/cd/images/768x512/1929036.jpg • http://www.ntitours.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Jabiru-and-magpie-geese-on-wetlands-in-Kakadu-National-Park.jpg • Reverence: Book; Kakadu, Heinemann