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

More documents

Recommendations

Info

IMPLICATIONS OF CLIMATE CHANGE FOR AUSTRALIA’S WORLD HERITAGE PROPERTIES: A PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT World Heritage property Wet Tropics of Queensland Shark Bay, Western Australia Potential climate threats Potential impacts Management/contingency plans/knowledge gaps • More intense cyclone and storm activity • Rising sea level • A rise in the orographic cloud layer • Changed fire regimes • Higher temperatures • More frequent drought • Increased evaporation • Increased carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) concentrations • Higher sea water temperatures • Sea level rise • Increased carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) concentrations • More frequent severe droughts, which affect conditions on land • Ocean acidification • More intense storms and cyclone activity • Reduction in occult precipitation may lead to significant hydrological changes • Reduction in streamflow • Rainforests above 800 m, which contain the vast majority of the region’s endemic fauna, are at greatest risk from global warming • More vegetation damage from high, destructive winds • Alteration of seagrass habitats (changed salinity and more frequent storms) • The impact of raised temperatures and increased CO 2 is uncertain; higher levels may increase primary production of biomass • Changed relationships between sharks and other marine species as a result of changes to the Leeuwin Current • Attributes such as raised temperatures, storms and increased CO 2 levels will affect particular habitats (such as those occupied by reptiles and terrestrial mammals) • Increased sea temperatures may favour a southern movement of tropical marine life • Increased temperatures would appear likely to increase the frequency and effectiveness of predation by the tiger shark Options for translocation and restoration of species habitats, particularly in higher altitudes. Better water management strategies need to be developed, especially if annual rainfall is to decline as climate projections suggest. The downstream impacts from changes in the orographic cloud layer should be examined and modelled. There are uncertainties about the effect of climate change on currents along the continental shelf and fish stocks, in particular the Leeuwin Current. There is significant access to and commercial use of Shark Bay and its environs (including minerals extraction; prawn fishing; and ecotourism centred on migratory whales, turtles and dugong). Pressure from those activities is likely to increase with, for example, ecotourism becoming more intensive if climate change trends increase and if consumers believe that their window to ‘see the dugong before they disappear forever’ is closing. 15
IMPLICATIONS OF CLIMATE CHANGE FOR AUSTRALIA’S WORLD HERITAGE PROPERTIES: A PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT World Heritage property 16 Potential climate threats Potential impacts Management/contingency plans/knowledge gaps Fraser Island • Temperature rise • Changed fire regimes • Increased dune erosion • Drought • Water extraction and changes in hydrology • Sea level rise • Increased carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) concentrations Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (Riversleigh and Naracoorte) • Increased frequency of storm events • Higher evaporative demand • Higher temperatures • Changes in surface water and groundwater hydrology • Accelerated dune erosion mainly from wind and rainfall action • Change in vegetation cover and loss of rainforest species • Higher water temperatures can affect chemical, physical and biological processes in lakes • Changed fire regimes may pose a major threat to the island’s fauna through the destruction of vital habitats • Greater erosion through flash flooding • Changes in rainwater pH Excessive visitation has placed pressure on water resources. There may be a need to limit visitation to the island. The optimum fire frequency that will still enable the maintenance of peat development and the other species it supports has not been determined. There is little palynological data from lakes at Fraser Island that could provide a window on past climatic events. The effects of climate change on fossil sites have not been discussed extensively in authoritative, peer-reviewed literature. A more detailed examination is desirable.
Page 1 and 2: IMPLICATIONS OF CLIMATE CHANGE FOR
Page 31: IMPLICATIONS OF CLIMATE CHANGE FOR
Page 79 and 80: 62 Table 5. Predicted impacts of cl
Page 81 and 82: 64 Criteria Examples of values/attr
Page 83 and 84:
IMPLICATIONS OF CLIMATE CHANGE FOR
Page 85 and 86:
Page 87 and 88:
Page 89 and 90:
Page 91 and 92:
Page 93 and 94:
Page 95 and 96:
Page 97 and 98:
Page 99 and 100:
Page 101 and 102:
Page 103 and 104:
Page 105 and 106:
Page 107 and 108:
Page 109 and 110:
Page 111 and 112:
Page 113 and 114:
Page 115 and 116:
Page 117 and 118:
Page 119 and 120:
Page 121 and 122:
Page 123 and 124:
Page 125 and 126:
Page 127 and 128:
Page 129 and 130:
Page 131 and 132:
Page 133 and 134:
Page 135 and 136:
Page 137 and 138:
Page 139 and 140:
Page 141 and 142:
Page 143 and 144:
Page 145 and 146:
Page 147 and 148:
Page 149 and 150:
Page 151 and 152:
Page 153 and 154:
Page 155 and 156:
Page 157 and 158:
Page 159 and 160:
Page 161 and 162:
Page 163 and 164:
Page 165 and 166:
Page 167 and 168:
Page 169 and 170:
Page 171 and 172:
Page 173 and 174:
Page 175 and 176:
Page 177 and 178:
Page 179 and 180:
Page 181 and 182:
Page 183 and 184:
Page 185 and 186:
Page 187 and 188:
Page 189 and 190:
Page 191 and 192:
Page 193 and 194:
Page 195 and 196:
Page 197 and 198:
Page 199 and 200:
Page 201 and 202:
Page 203 and 204:
Page 205 and 206:
Page 207 and 208:
Page 209 and 210:
Page 211 and 212:
Page 213 and 214:
Page 215 and 216:
Page 217 and 218:
Page 219 and 220:
202 World Heritage property Tempera
Page 221 and 222:
204 Appendix C: Summary of likely c
Page 223 and 224:
206 World Heritage criteria World H
show all

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

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?