The park stretches from the mangrove-fringed tidal plains in the north, through floodplains and lowland hills to the high sandstone cliffs of the spectacular Arnhem Land escarpment, through to the rugged stone country in the south. It protects almost the entire catchment of a large tropical river, another three river systems and examples of most of Australia’s Top End habitats. Kakadu’s ancient escarpment and stone country spans more than two billion years of the earth’s geological history. In contrast the riverine and coastal floodplains are more recent, dynamic environments, shaped by changing sea levels and the big floods every wet season. This is a place of enormous biological diversity. Savannah woodlands, eucalypt and monsoon forests, rivers and billabongs, coastal beaches, mudflats and mangroves are home to a range of rare and endemic plants and animals. There are 77 species of mammals (nearly a quarter of Australia’s land mammals), 271 species of birds (more than one-third of Australian bird species), 132 reptiles, 27 species of frogs, 314 fish species, almost 1600 plant species and over 10,000 species of insects. Kakadu’s landscapes undergo dramatic seasonal changes. Wet season rains create a sea of shallow freshwater for hundreds of square kilometres, and saltwater crocodiles move swiftly upstream. As the floodplains start to dry, vast numbers of ducks, geese and wading birds flock to the rivers and billabongs. These extensive wetlands are listed under the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (the Ramsar Convention). More than 30 species of waders have been recorded on the wetlands, many being winter migrants from the sub-Arctic region. Kakadu is a major staging point within Australia for many migrating birds. The wet also brings spectacular waterfalls to the 500 kilometre long Arnhem Land escarpment and new life to the rainforests in the ravines and plateau. The rainforests are dominated by allosyncarpia trees, found only in this region. Rare birds such as the hooded parrot and white-throated grass wren live in the plateau’s spinifex and woodland, and rare bats shelter in the escarpment caves. Restricted populations of animals such as the black wallaroo, the Oenpelli python and the giant cave gecko live around the isolated massive rock outliers, left behind when the escarpment eroded eastwards. Kakadu’s rivers meander to the Van Dieman Gulf, gradually depositing large quantities of silt to form extensive mudflats. These are inundated with salt water at high tide, and only salt-tolerant plants can grow here. Twenty-two species of mangroves form extensive mangrove swamps, important feeding and breeding grounds for many invertebrate species, fish (including barramundi) and birds. Generations of Aboriginal people – known as Bininj/Mungguy – have lived and cared for this country for tens of thousands of years. Their deep spiritual connection to the land dates back to the Creation or Dreamtime. Bininj/Mungguy believe that during the creation time ancestral beings known as the first people or Nayahunggi journeyed across the landscape. They came in many different forms – such as the Rainbow Serpent, Bula (Jawoyn Ancestor), Namarrgon (Lightning Man) and Warramurrungundji (Earth Mother). The ancestors created the landforms, plants, animals and Aboriginal people we see today, and they left language, ceremonies, kinship, and rules to live by. The cultural obligations and responsibility for country handed down by the ancestors are still central to the lives of Bininj/Mungguy, and age-old skills such as patch burning are integral to the modern management of the park. Kakadu’s Aboriginal rock art documents these creation stories. The paintings constitute one of the longest historical records of any group of people in the world, an outstanding record of human interaction with the environment over tens of thousands of years. Some 5,000 art sites have been recorded and a further 10,000 sites are thought to exist. Concentrated along the escarpment, in gorges, and on rock outliers, the art sites display a range of styles including naturalistic paintings of animals and traditional x-ray art. Some galleries intriguingly capture the first contacts with non-Aboriginal people, from the Macassans in 17th century to the early European explorers in the 19th century. Kakadu is jointly managed by the Australian Government Director of National Parks in conjunction with a Board of Management, which has an Aboriginal majority representing the traditional owners. Day-to-day management is carried out by Parks Australia, a division of the Australian Government Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities.
Kakadu
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Government evidence of impact of climate change:
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Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, World Heritage Places - Kakadu National Park
Since the 1991 nomination; additional threats to World Heritage values have emerged; including Climate change saltwater incursions into freshwater ecosystems; changing fire seasons and regimes and an increased potential for spread of exotic flora and fauna.
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IUCN World Heritage Outlook, Kakadu National Park, 2014
Potential threats include climate change which could have catastrophic results; for instance sea level rise could destroy the entire floodplain area.
Potential Threats High Threat Potential threats caused by climate change might result in sea level rise; the risk of catastrophic fire; storms or drought or change in the chemical composition of seawater; all of which would impact WH values greatly.
New or increased invasions of alien species including pathogens and disease; again compounded by climate change; are another real risk.
Other Data Deficient The park’s wetlands have been identified as being particularly susceptible to saltwater intrusion resulting from feral animal activities or future changes in climate and sea levels.
Temperature changes Very High Threat Inside site Outside site Climate change has the potential to damage every WH value in the property at a large scale.
Climate change may also change fire seasons and regimes; and create increased potential for the spread of exotic flora and fauna.
However; any sea level rise due to climate change will have a huge impact on these waterbirds.
Therefore even though the fire issues are being monitored and worked on; the threat to WH values from uncontrolled wildfires remains high.
Saltwater intrusion and or altered fire regimes associated with weed invasions are possible contributory factors (SOC; 2003).
Saltwater intrusion and or altered fire regimes associated with weed invasions are possible contributory factors (SOC; 2003).
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IUCN World Heritage Outlook, Kakadu National Park, 2017
Potential threats caused by climate change may result in sea level rise and saltwater intrusion; the risk of increased frequency and intensity of wildfire; storms or drought or change in the chemical composition of seawater; all of which would impact the property greatly.
New or increased invasions of alien species including pathogens and disease; again compounded by climate change; are another real risk.
Temperature extremes; Storms Flooding High Threat Inside site; widespread(15 50 ) Outside site Effects of climate change can already be seen.
New or increased populations of alien species including pathogens and disease; again compounded by climate change; are another real risk.
Temperature extremes; Other Very High Threat Inside site; extent of threat not known The park’s wetlands are susceptible to saltwater intrusion from future changes in climate and sea levels.
Climate change may also change fire seasons and regimes; and create increased potential for the spread of exotic flora and fauna.
However; any sea level rise due to climate change will have a huge impact on these waterbirds.
Saltwater intrusion and or altered fire regimes associated with weed invasions are possible contributory factors (SOC; 2003).
Significant fire impacts on the Endangered Arnhem Plateau Sandstone Shrubland Complex are ongoing (Russell Smith et al.; 2017).
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IUCN World Heritage Outlook, Kakadu National Park, 2020
Some impacts of climate change; most explicitly through progressive saltwater intrusion into lowland wetlands; are already being seen.
Climate change modelling for the tropical savannas indicates these impacts will worsen under warmer temperatures (DNP; 2017).
Habitat Shifting Alteration; Temperature extremes; Very High Threat Storms Flooding Inside site; throughout( 50 ) Outside site (Climate change (especially saltwater intrusion)) Climate change has the potential to affect almost all World Heritage values in the site.
Effects of climate change are already evident; and these impacts will be magnified in the coming decades.
Climate change is also likely to affect fire regimes; through changes in rainfall incidence and severity and temperature extremes.
Potential Threats Very High Threat The impacts of climate change will progressively magnify.
Climate change may also increase fire frequency and intensity.
New or increased populations of alien species including pathogens and di se; again compounded by climate change; are another risk.
Temperature extremes; Storms Flooding (Climate change) Very High Threat Inside site; throughout( 50 ) Outside site The impacts of climate change will progressively magnify.
Climate change is already having detrimental impacts on the site’s values; mostly through nascent saltwater intrusion.
Many threats (such as fire and introduced invasive animals) operate across the entire extent of the site.
Small mammals decline with increasing fire extent in northern Australia evidence from long term monitoring in Kakadu National Park.
Extreme weather events have recently caused large scale losses of mangroves within the site and in the broader region (Asbridge et al.; 2019 Duke et al.; 2017).
Large scale dieback of mangroves in Australia’s Gulf of Carpentaria a severe ecosystem response; coincidental with an unusually extreme weather event.
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Australian Government Director of National Parks and Kakadu National Park Board of Management, Kakadu National Park Management Plan 2016-2026
Large late season fires also lead to higher loss of carbon and increased levels of greenhouse gas emissions.
Climate change projections suggest the park will be exposed to a range of challenges.
Increased frequency and intensity of fire arising from a drier and hotter climate has particular implications for fire sensitive vegetation communities.
Increased intensity of extreme weather events as a result of climate change is likely to have a range of impacts including increased incidents of heat related illness; expansion of mosquito borne viruses and exacerbation of damage to rock art sites.
Threats to human health There may be an increase in heat related illness; expansion of the number of mosquito borne viruses and an increase in injuries from extreme weather events associated with climate change.
Potential threats to values Climate change (highly significant) Climate change is likely to impact on cultural sites in coastal and lowland areas through rising sea levels and saltwater inundation.
Climate change (highly significant) Sea level rise is expected to result in the replacement of many freshwater wetlands with saline wetlands and will potentially have a major effect on floodplain values.
More extreme weather events associated with climate change are also likely to impact on coastal and riverine areas in Kakadu.
Climate change related temperature increases are likely to exacerbate these impacts.
The park’s internationally significant natural and cultural values are being affected; mostly detrimentally; by a range of potentially landscape transforming factors including weeds; feral animals; fire; extreme weather events and climate change.
Climate change modelling for the tropical savannas indicates these impacts will worsen under warmer temperatures.
Warmer temperatures associated with climate change are likely to accentuate this.
Fire regime Many threatened and declining plant and animal species (and the threatened ecological community) are detrimentally affected by the current fire regime.
Fire (highly significant) Fire can significantly impact on rock art sites; particularly when there is a build up of native vegetation or weeds close to sites.
Existing threats to values Fire (highly significant) Frequent; extensive and high intensity fires are the most significant threat to the stone country environment.
Existing threats to values Fire (highly significant) Large; hot and frequent fires remain a significant issue in the lowlands; in particular for the maintenance of habitats favoured by some currently declining animal species.
Fire (highly significant) Rainforest is particularly sensitive to fire and comprises many species intolerant of fire.
Predictions for 2030 indicate a warming of 1.3 C; a considerable increase in the number of days above 35 C; sea level rise of over 17 centimetres; an increase in extreme weather events such as cyclones; and elevated co; levels.
With increased temperatures but no predicted increase in rainfall amounts; shallower wetlands may be at risk of drying earlier; or drying completely; which could have significant implications for species dependent on wetlands.
Infrastructure costs There may be an increase in building and infrastructure maintenance costs due to extreme weather events and a need to relocate infrastructure from high risk areas.
These include car accidents; slips; falls and injuries in remote areas that require search and rescue operations; bushfires; extreme weather events (flooding and cyclones) and chemical spills.
The World Heritage values include the coastal riverine and estuarine flood plains of the South Alligator; West Alligator; East Alligator; and Wildman rivers; which include freshwater flood plains with tidal river channels the relatively undisturbed nature of the river systems and their associated catchments the mangrove swamps; including remnants of more extensive swamps which formed between 6;500 and 7;000 years ago on the coastal fringe and plains the spatial zonation of the coastal and floodplain vegetation which exemplifies a vegetation succession linked to processes of sea level change and sedimentation and extends from lower intertidal mangroves to estuarine mangroves to floodplain vegetation the range of the environmental gradients and contiguous; diverse landscapes; extending from the sandstone plateaus and escarpments through lowland areas and wetlands to the coast; which have contributed to the evolution of high levels of endemism and species diversity the scale and integrity of the landscapes and environments with extensive and relatively unmodified vegetation cover and largely intact faunal composition which are important in relation to ongoing evolutionary processes in an intact landscape the high spatial heterogeneity of habitats the high diversity and abundance of plant and animal species; many of which are adapted to low nutrient conditions (including more than 1;600 plant species; over one quarter of Australia’s known terrestrial mammal; about one third of the total bird fauna and freshwater fish species; about 15 per cent of Australia reptile and amphibian species and a high diversity of insect species) .
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