DARLING RIVERINE PLAINS BIOREGION Background Report

CONTENTS
PROJECT SUMMARY
1 INTRODUCTION 14
1.1 The Background Report 14
1.2 The DRP Biodiversity Conservation Assessment Project 15
1.2.1 Objectives of the DRP project 15
1.2.2 Funding for the DRP project 15
1.2.3 Associated projects 16
1.3 The Darling Riverine Plains Bioregion 18
1.3.1 Location and area 18
1.3.2 Human history 18
1.3.3 Land tenure and administrative boundaries 22
2 ABIOTIC FEATURES 29
2.1 Introduction 29
2.2 Climate 29
2.2.1 Rainfall: temporal and spatial variation 30
2.2.2 Winds 36
2.2.3 Temperature and evaporation 37
2.3 Geology, Topography And Soils 39
2.3.1 Geological history 39
2.3.2 Topography and geomorphology 41
2.3.3 Soils 41
2.4 Hydrology 42
2.4.1 Surface waters: rivers, catchments and wetlands 42
2.4.2 Groundwaters 49
2.5 Land Condition 51
2.5.1 Land degradation 51
2.5.2 River and wetland degradation 52
2.5.3 Salinity 53
2.6 Boundaries Within the DRP 55
2.6.1 Provinces 55
2.6.2 Land systems 58
2.7 Summary and Proposed Further Work 58
2.7.1 Summary 58
2.7.2 Proposed further work 59
3 VEGETATION 60
3.1 Vegetation in 1750 and Subsequent Modification 60