The Future for Biodiversity in Queensland Tim Low , consultant, for - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The Future for Biodiversity in Queensland

Tim Low, consultant, for the Department of Environment & Resource

Management (Queensland)

“The rainforest trees in this study showed maximum growth at temperatures (28–30+ °C ) higher than the annual maximum temperature of their warm limit (16–31 °C … This is consistent with many tree species in the Northern Hemisphere showing their greatest growth rates at or beyond the warm limits of their distributions”

Acmena smithii

Onthophagus macrocephalus Nothofagus above 900 m + 1 low site

Management Implications

Conserve upland forests on fertile soils Replant winter fruits for bowerbirds Remove competitors Manage Fraser Island as a climatic refuge Be cautious about corridors Question translocation

Bertya sharpeana Eucalyptus pachycalyx Lindsaea repens Burmannia disticha Pseudanthus ligulatus

Climatically Incoherent Distributions

Bertya sharpeana Atalaya collina Lophostemon confertus

Gamba Grass Fire

Feral Goats

“the majority of species occupy small discrete regions defined by very narrow temperature ranges… If they are to survive they must migrate”

• Tim Flannery, The Weather Makers

“Extensive local speciation among major tree species in Australia (ag. Acacia and Eucalyptus) reflects in situ persistence rather than widespread distribution changes”

• Michael Dunlop and Peter Brown, CSIRO

Drought near Winton, 2005

Lophostemon confertus

Dead Ironbarks near Aramac*

Some Lessons learned: Northern Hemisphere paradigms reduce management options Priorities and goals should reflect Australian ecological realities Species distribution models should not replace ecological analysis Historical narratives are needed

Report:

Queensland Climate Change & Biodiversity

Commissioned by the Department of Environment & Resource Management

Images courtesy of Bureau of Meteorology, CSIRO, Queensland Herbarium, Queensland Museum, Jon Norling, Brett Taylor