Implications of Climate Change for Australia's World Heritage ...

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IMPLICATIONS OF CLIMATE CHANGE FOR AUSTRALIA’S WORLD HERITAGE PROPERTIES: A PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT World Heritage property Potential climate threats Potential impacts Management/contingency plans/knowledge gaps Great Barrier Reef • Higher sea water temperatures • Sea level rise • Increased carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) concentrations • Ocean acidification • More intense storms and cyclone activity Willandra Lakes Region • Drought • Higher temperatures • Increase in pest numbers • Fire events • Further coral beaching • Reduced coral growth rates and/or skeletal density due to ocean acidification • Increased mortality in seabirds, turtles and other species attributable to provisioning failure that is consequent on changes to circulation patterns • Changes to rainfall patterns and an increased likelihood of flooding, which affect flora and fauna (e.g. mangroves and seagrass) on reefs, islands and in estuaries • Increases in sea levels affecting nesting (e.g. some birds and turtles) and mangrove reproduction • Stream erosion through more severe storms (although this is a naturally occurring process) • Accelerated erosion Uncertainty about the impact of particular aspects of climate change on a location-bylocation basis. The Coral Bleaching Response Plan uses an efficient and rapid surveillance system (i.e. satellite and aerial technology) to determine the extent of coral bleaching and better understand the impacts associated with coral bleaching. Although there is extensive research on how climate change has affected the geomorphology of the Willandra Lakes Region and human habitation in the past, there is an absence of authoritative research analysing how potential climate change might affect the property’s World Heritage values in future. 11
IMPLICATIONS OF CLIMATE CHANGE FOR AUSTRALIA’S WORLD HERITAGE PROPERTIES: A PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT World Heritage property Lord Howe Island Group 12 Potential climate threats Potential impacts Management/contingency plans/knowledge gaps • Sea level rise • Drought • Changes in sea surface temperatures • Changes in the orographic cloud layer • Wave action • Increased carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) concentrations • Ocean acidification • Marine pest invasions 7 Water derived from fog, dew and cloud, not recorded in rain gauges. • Greater impact of wave action on shorelines. Coastal cliffs and rocky shore platforms may undergo extensive erosion from sea-level rise and severe storm events • A change in mossy cloud layer may lead to reduced occult precipitation 7 and changes in the hydrological regime • Changes in marine population numbers • Threat to seabird populations from changes in the abundance or distribution of prey • Coral reefs are likely to be affected by ocean acidification • Loss of endemic fauna and flora Potential biological and hydrological impacts resulting from a change in the mossy cloud layer requires further investigation. There are some opportunities for collaborative research in this area (e.g. Wet Tropics of Queensland). Tighter controls over illegal and recreational fishing. Long-term studies of some key indicator species are needed. A better understanding of the extent of genetic diversity among endemic fish species might provide insight into the adaptive capacity of some species to adapt to climate change impacts.
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206 World Heritage criteria World H
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