Impact on biodiversity

Climate change will continue to affect our local bushlands, waterways, grasslands and agricultural areas in a variety of ways.   The most vulnerable ecosystems in our region will be areas affected by soil moisture stress and increased risk of bushfires.

Other potential impacts to biodiversity in this region include:

• Our rivers and wetlands will experience reduced water availability and varied water quality.
• Native flora and fauna will be affected in complex and often unpredictable ways. The mix of species able to persist in the region will almost certainly alter – with some increasing, and others declining or disappearing.  Flowering times will change, as will the timing of annual events by birds and other fauna such as breeding and migration.
• The capacity of the majority of native species to adapt or evolve to the changing climate will be limited due to the expected speed of change and the historic and ongoing loss of refuge areas.
• There will also be some winners in the animal and plant kingdoms – and it is predicted that non-indigenous species will be disproportionately among these.

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