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Workshop Summary: Climate Change Impacts on the Gondwana

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Workshop Summary: Climate Change Impacts on the Gondwana WORKSHOP SUMMARY Climate change impacts on the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia Flickr/James Manners CC-BY-SA 2.0 Flickr/James Manners CC-BY-SA The Gondwana Rainforests of The workshop Australia World Heritage Area In October 2018, a workshop was convened in Brisbane at the University is one of 19 listed World of Queensland to bring experts from key agencies together to discuss Heritage properties in available climate change projections for the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia. Australia World Heritage Area (Gondwana Rainforests WHA) and identify Extending across 40 reserves specific data needs for ongoing climate change adaptation planning. on Australia’s east coast, the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area property is recognised by The Gondwana Rainforests WHA is a serial World Heritage property UNESCO for its examples of containing 40 separate reserves within north-east New South Wales and major stages of the Earth’s south-east Queensland. Covering more than 366,000 hectares, the evolutionary history, ongoing rainforests comprise warm temperate, cool temperate, subtropical and dry geological and biological rainforests similar to those that covered the ancient supercontinent processes, and exceptional Gondwana. The rainforests are biodiversity hot-spots and are home to biological diversity.1 many rare and threatened plants and animals. The changing climate poses a On-ground management of the Gondwana Rainforests WHA is largely by threat to the unique habitats in the NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service (part of the NSW Office of the WHA and to the species Environment and Heritage) and Queensland Parks & Wildlife Service (part that live there. of the Queensland Department of Environment and Science). The Queensland Department of Environment and Science (DES) have The Earth Systems and developed a Biodiversity and Ecosystems Climate Adaptation Plan, Climate Change Hub is designed to facilitate the adaptation of Queensland’s biodiversity and working with the people ecosystems to the effects of climate change. responsible for managing the Climate change has been identified as a threat to the integrity of the reserves to understand how Gondwana Rainforests WHA. Changes in temperatures and rainfall are climate change will impact the likely to directly affect already restricted cool, moist habitats. Changes in World Heritage Area. fire regimes and severe storm events, coupled with changes in competition from pest species, are likely to further impact these habitats and the plants 1. Gondwana Rainforests of Australia Statement and animals that live there. of OUV, https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/368 The Earth Systems and Climate Change Hub is funded by the Australian Government’s National Environmental Science Program Climate change The importance of cloud for the Gondwana Rainforests WHA Climate change refers to long-term In high elevation forests, water changes in the average pattern of from cloud and fog provides up to weather that occur over decades, half of the annual vegetation water centuries or longer. Climate requirements. variability, for example, due to the The shifting of the cloud base up El Niño Southern Oscillation, or down the mountains associated occurs at shorter timescales of with climate change will have years to decades, while weather important implications for the occurs on the timescale of hours to management of these forests and days. the fauna that lives in them. Climate change projections are not For this reason, cloud projections predictions, but they tell us about are of particular interest to the response of the climate system managers. Flickr/Laura CC-BY 2.0 to possible future scenarios. Our confidence in projections is determined by considering climate model results along with our increases to decreases across Next steps physical understanding of the climate models. The Hub will is working with climate system and past � increased severity of extreme Gondwana Rainforests WHA observations. rainfall events managers to assess the impact of climate change on cloud cover in Climate projections for the � higher surface solar radiation the region covered by the Border broarder Gondwana Rainforests (i.e. decreased overall cloud Ranges Rainforest Biodiversity region include: cover) Management Plan.The case study � increased average temperatures � decreased relative humidity will be carried out in 2019–20. in all seasons (very high (although modest in winter) confidence) The Gondwana Rainforests � higher evapotranspiration. Management Committee will � more hot days and warm spells continue to investigate adaptation with a substantial increase in the Changes projected generally planning for the World Heritage temperature reached on hot increase for higher emissions area within their jurisdictions. days, the frequency of hot days, scenarios and for further out in the Opportunities to coordinate and and the duration of warm spells century. share information and learnings (very high confidence) Detailed climate change between jurisdictions will be � a possible modest decrease in projections are available at investigated and optimised. Input rainfall that is strongest in winter climatechangeinaustralia.gov.au – and advice from the Gondwana and modest incease in summer Gondwana Rainforests are in the Rainforests advisory committees rainfall in the northern part of the East Coast cluster (both North and shall be sought as projects and region – but there is low South sub-clusters). programs are developed, including confidence in these projections identifying knowledge gaps along due to a very large spread of the way. The full report from this workshop is available on the Earth Systems and Climate Change Hub website at www.nespclimate.com.au. For more information on the ESCC Hub’s work in Gondwana Rainforests WHA, please contact Hub Knowledge Broker, Mandy Hopkins on 03 9239 4649 or [email protected]. www.nespclimate.com.au.
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