The Burdekin Dry Tropics is an incredibly biodiverse region with
biodiversity assets of national and international significance.
Although dominated by tropical savanna woodlands and
grasslands, its natural ecosystems span the full suite of tropical
biodiversity and include mountainous rainforests, large river
systems and coral reefs.
The region forms a biogeographic feature known as the 'dry
corridor' which adjoins wet tropical bioregions to the north and
south and extends the range of fauna and flora more typical of the
drier interior to the coast. The region also contains significant
wetlands with a large number listed in the
Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia .
The coastal areas are of exceptionally high conservation value.
They include the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, Ramsar
Wetland sites, two Dugong Protection areas, seagrass beds in
Cleveland and Bowling Green Bays.
Biodiversity values include recognised centres of species
richness and endemism for birds (>300 species), mammals (>70
species), reptiles, amphibians, eucalypts and acacias. The many
significant biodiversity assets of the region also include parts of
two World Heritage Areas (the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet
Tropics), and other coastal and terrestrial protected areas
including national parks and conservation parks, Australian
and Queensland marine parks, Fish Habitat Areas and Dugong
Protection Areas.
Bioregions
The region is comprised of three main bioregions: the Einasleigh
Uplands, the Desert Uplands and, the Brigalow Belt North. The
Brigalow Belt, Desert Uplands and the Einasleigh Uplands bioregions
are considered National Biodiversity Hotspots.
Portions of the Wet Tropics, Central Queensland Coast, Southern
Brigalow Belt and Gulf Plains Bioregions also fall within the
region. See Map 8.2.
A large number of non-reef and reef marine bioregions also
occur in the adjoining marine environment. See Map 8.5.
Regional ecosystems
Within the terrestrial bioregions there is a high diversity of
vegetation types that in combination with particular landform
settings form regional ecosystems.
Open woodlands and grasslands dominated by eucalypts and acacias
predominate. Other vegetation types include closed riparian
forests, rainforests, open forest, vine thickets, sedgelands and
open wetlands, mangrove and freshwater swamp forests, coastal dune
communities and seagrass meadows. See Map 8.3.
