Cape York Peninsula tropical savanna

The Cape York Peninsula tropical savanna is a tropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion in northern Australia. It occupies the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, mainland Australia's northernmost point.[2] It is coterminous with the Cape York Peninsula (code CYP),[3] an interim Australian bioregion.[4]

Cape York Peninsula tropical savanna
Map of the Cape York Peninsula tropical savanna ecoregion.
Ecology
RealmAustralasian
Biometropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands
BordersCarpentaria tropical savanna, Einasleigh Uplands savanna, and Queensland tropical rain forests
Geography
Area121,160 km2 (46,780 sq mi)
CountryAustralia
StatesQueensland and Torres Strait Regional Authority
Conservation
Conservation statusRelatively stable/intact
Protected35,713 km² (29%)[1]
Cape York Peninsula
Queensland
The interim Australian bioregions,
with Cape York Peninsula in red
Area122,564.57 km2 (47,322.4 sq mi)
Localities around Cape York Peninsula:
Gulf of Carpentaria Torres Strait Pacific Ocean
Gulf of Carpentaria Cape York Peninsula Pacific Ocean
Gulf Plains Einasleigh Uplands Wet Tropics

Geography

The ecoregion covers the northern portion of the Cape York Peninsula, along with the adjacent Torres Strait Islands. It is bounded by the Carpentaria tropical savanna ecoregion to the southwest, Einasleigh Uplands savanna to the south, and Queensland tropical rain forests to the southeast.

The west of the region is dominated in the south by an extensive Tertiary sand sheet dissected by the drainage systems of the Holroyd Plain, the Tertiary laterite of the Weipa Plateau, and the low rises of Mesozoic sandstones, while the northern section consists of the Weipa Plateau together with extensive coastal plains along the Gulf of Carpentaria. To the east lie aeolian dunefields.[5] Along the eastern margin, the geology of the Coen-Yambo Inlier is complex, with volcanic, metamorphic and acid intrusive rocks.[5] The subregion of the Battle Camp Sandstones, formed from deeply dissected plateaus, lies in the south of the region,[5] with the Laura Lowlands, composed of sands and silts, and colluvial and alluvial clays, lying adjacent.[5]

Climate

The climate is tropical, humid or maritime, with rainfall varying from 1000 mm to 1600 mm, including some high-rainfall areas at high altitudes.[5]

Flora

The vegetation mainly consists of woodlands, heathlands, sedgelands, vine forests (including both semi-deciduous vine forests on the eastern ranges and deciduous vine thickets on western slopes). Mangrove forests are found in the north east and along the estuaries on the coasts.[5]

Subregions

In the IBRA system, Cape York Peninsula (CYP) has nine sub-regions:[6]

IBRA regions and subregions: IBRA7
IBRA subregionIBRA
code		Area
haacres
Coen-Yambo InlierCYP012,312,126 5,713,390
Starke Coastal LowlandsCYP02512,498 1,266,410
Cape York-Torres StraitCYP0394,367 233,190
Jardine-Pascoe SandstonesCYP041,444,223 3,568,750
Battle Camp SandstonesCYP05504,409 1,246,420
Laura LowlandsCYP061,791,228 4,426,220
Weipa PlateauCYP072,848,753 7,039,420
Northern Holroyd PlainCYP082,464,074 6,088,860
Coastal PlainsCYP09284,780 703,700

Protected areas

Protected areas in the ecoregion include Alwal National Park, Binirr National Park, Cape Melville National Park, Jack River National Park, Jardine River National Park, Kulla National Park, Lakefield National Park, Olkola National Park, Oyala Thumotang National Park, and Wuthathi (Shelburne Bay) National Park.

  • "Cape York Peninsula tropical savanna". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.

References
  1. Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, Pages 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b.
  2. "Cape York Peninsula tropical savanna". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
  3. "Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA7) regions and codes". Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. Commonwealth of Australia. 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  4. "Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia, Version 7: regions" (PDF). Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  5. Environment Australia. "Revision of the Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) and Development of Version 5.1 - Summary Report". Department of the Environment and Water Resources, Australian Government. Archived from the original on 4 September 2006. Retrieved 6 May 2018. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. "IBRA7 subregions and codes" (PDF). Retrieved 6 May 2018.
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