The World Heritage values of Naracoorte include the cave fauna deposits which includes fossil assemblages and sequences that date to the middle to late Pleistocene period; providing an important southern hemisphere site for the study of megafaunal extinction provide a window on faunal change spanning at least two ice ages and culminating in the appearance of humans on the Australian continent include representation of unique Gondwanan groups such as extinct madtsoiid snakes and monotremes due to the high quality of the preservation of most of the fossil material include a large quantity of individuals represented and a high quality of preservation due to the deposition of the fossils in a pit fall trap environment provide further evidence that the Australian fauna has evolved mainly in isolation are important in understanding the impacts of Milankovitch climatic cycles and humans on Australia’s mammal fauna and include DNA which has been found and extracted from examples of the fossil material with a view to reconstructing detailed phylogenies for the extinct thylacoleonids (marsupial lions) and the extinct browsing sthenurine kangaroos. .

Here are fossils that document a distinctive group of animals; with the ancestors of modern species alongside the doomed giants of a world that was about to be devastated by climatic changes.

Naracoorte’s mammal fossils show Australia’s extinct giant mammals shrinking and disappearing during later climatic changes and around the appearance of humans in Australia over 50;000 years ago The fossils in the Naracoorte Caves illustrate faunal change spanning several ice ages; highlighting the impacts of both climatic change and humankind on Australia’s mammals from at least 500;000 years ago.

Records of past climates are being elucidated from speleothems the impacts of climate on faunal change are being revealed.

The Naracoorte assemblages open a window into a significant period of Earth’s history from the mid Pleistocene to present (530;000 years ago to today); a period characterised by great climatic changes. (SOOUV; 2012) Evidence of evolutionary change Criterion (ix) The two component sites provide complementary evidence of key stages in the evolution of the fauna of one of the world’s most isolated continents.
They highlight the impacts of both climatic change and humans on Australia’s mammals; including its now vanished megafauna. (SOOUV; 2012) Other important biodiversity values Breeding habitat for the critically endangered Southern Bentwinged Bat The major extant faunal feature of the Naracoorte section of the Property is its population of ‘Critically Endangered’ Southern Bentwinged Bats (Miniopterus schreibersii bassanii).

Importance for research The Property’s core value lies in the knowledge derived from ongoing study of the fossil deposits providing insights to evolutionary trends in response to climate change.

The Naracoorte assemblages open a window into a significant period of Earth’s history from the mid Pleistocene to present (530;000 years ago to today); a period characterised by great climatic changes. (SOOUV; 2012) Evidence of evolutionary change Criterion (ix) The two component sites provide complementary evidence of key stages in the evolution of the fauna of one of the world’s most isolated continents.

The sites highlight the potential impacts of climatic change and humans on Australia’s mammals; including its now vanished megafauna. (SOOUV; 2012) Other important biodiversity values Breeding habitat for the critically endangered Southern bent wing bat The major extant faunal feature of the Naracoorte section of the property is its population of the ‘Critically Endangered’ Southern bent wing bat (Miniopterus orianae bassanii).

Potential threat from climate change to the site’s values exists; but is considered very low.

Temperature extremes (Climate Change) Very Low Threat Inside site; extent of threat not known Outside site At Naracoorte; higher temperatures and altered humidity in caves could exacerbate the proliferation of cave microbiota; and there is potential that this could increase surface degradation of the fossils.

Potential threat posed by climate change is currently considered very low.

Although the likelihood and impact may be determined as low; extreme weather events such as harsher hotter fire weather (affecting vegetation communities that may protect the limestone terrain from rainfall); increased storm activity; higher category cyclones; and larger and longer lasting rainfall events leading to greater erosion; may have potential impacts on the OUV of the site (IUCN Consultation; 2020).

Drought can also pose a risk to cave structures; as changes in hydrology can lead to increased speleothem degradation.

Extreme weather events may mean increasing frequency and intensity of floods; and excess water can run into caves and cut through fossil beds; leading to the loss of temporal fossil series.

Although the likelihood and impact may be determined as low; extreme weather events such as harsher hotter fire weather (affecting vegetation communities that may protect the limestone terrain from rainfall); increased storm activity; higher category cyclones; and larger and longer lasting rainfall events leading to greater erosion; may have potential impacts on the OUV of the site (IUCN Consultation; 2020).

The Naracoorte fossils document a distinctive fauna; and illustrate faunal change spanning several ice ages; highlighting the impacts of both climatic change and humankind on Australia’s mammals from at least 350;000 years before the present.

They highlight the impacts of both climatic change and humans on Australia’s mammals; including its now vanished megafauna.