Greater Blue Mountains Area - (World Heritage Natural Site in Australia)

Greater Blue Mountains Area - Australia

Short Report

The greater Blue Mountains Area consists of 1.03 million hectares of sandstone plateaus, rocks and gorges dominated by moderate euc forest. The site consists of eight protected areas, is known for its representation of the evolutionary adaptation and diversification of the eucalypts in post-The 'Praehistorium Gondwana' isolation on the Australian continent. Ninety euc taxa within the larger Blue Mountains, which is also very suitable for the extraordinary expression of the structural and the ecological diversity of the eucalypts linked to a wide range of habitats. The site offers substantial representation of the Australian biodiversity with ten percent of the vascular flora as well as significant numbers of rare and endangered species, including endemic and evolutionary species, such as the Wollemi pine, in very limited microsites.

Wide Report

The greater Blue Mountains Area consists of mostly forested landscape on a sandstone plateau inland from central Sydney, New South Wales. The property, which consists of the following eight protected areas in two blocks separated by a transport and urban development corridor, consists of seven national parks as well as the Jenolan Caves Karst Conservation Reserve. These are the Blue Mountains, Wollemi, Yengo, Nattai, Kanangra-Boyd , Gardens of stone and Thirlmere Lakes National Parks.

The field contains no mountains in the conventional sense of the word, but is described as a deeply incised sandstone plateau increased from less than 100 m above sea level to 1300 m at the highest point. There are basalt outcrops on the higher edges. This plateau could be assumed to have the survival of a rich diversity of flora and fauna by providing a refuge of climatic changes during the recent geological history.

It is especially known for its broad and balanced representation of euc habitats of wet and dry sclerophyll, mallee heathlands, as well as local marshes and wetlands and grasslands. There are 91 species of euc (13% of the total) in the greater Blue Mountains Area, 12 of which are supposedly in Sydney sandstone region only place.

In addition to the rich variety of eucalypts, the area also contains old, species of global importance. The best known is the recently discovered Wollemi pine, a 'living fossil' dating back to the time of the dinosaurs. Thought to have been extinct for millions of years, the few trees of the old species are known only three small populations are located in remote, inaccessible gorges within the designated area. The Wollemi pine is one of the world's most rare species.

More than 400 different types of animals live in the rugged gorges and the high plains of the Greater Blue Mountains Area. These include endangered or rare species of conservation significance, such as the stained-tailed catfish quoll, the koala, the yellow and glider and long-nosed potoroo, as well as rare reptiles including the green and golden bell frog and the Blue Mountains water skink.

Source:whc/unesco