Lesueur National Park is recognised for its spectacular diversity of native plant species, including many plants not found anywhere else in the world. Lesueur National Park is home to a rich variety of native plants, with more than 900 species found within the park’s 27,235 hectares. This includes nine plants found nowhere else in the world and 111 plants found only in the local region. The national park is particularly rich in plants from the Proteaceae family, including Banksias, Hakeas, Dryandras, Grevilleas and Isopogons. It is also rich in species from other plant families such as Fabaceae (peas), Myrtaceae (myrtles), Haemodoraceae (bloodworts), Stylidiaceae (trigger plants) and Droseraceae (sundews).
Lesueur National Park
Government evidence of impact of climate change:
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Australian Government, Australian Heritage Database, Lesueur National Park, Coorow Green Head Rd, Green Head, WA, Australia
Climate change poses a significant threat to the natural values of the Lesueur National Park; particularly due to the fragmented condition of remnant vegetation in the region.
The impacts of climate change on Mediterranean systems; such as the south west of Western Australia; may include increased fire frequency and intensity spread of weedy species and reductions in stream flows and wetlands.
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Australian Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, National Heritage Places - Lesueur National Park
The woodlands of the national park are one of the few remaining breeding habitats in the local region for the endangered Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo Key threats to the national park are the spread of Phytophthora dieback disease and impacts from climate change; including altered fire regimes.
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WA Department of Conservation and Land Management, Lesueur National Park and Coomallo Nature Reserve
The more continuous fuels of scrub heath and thickets allow for a greater range in the weather conditions under which fire spread is possible; and fires may sustain under mild conditions.
This is a useful way of highlighting those species that are most vulnerable to changes in abundance under inappropriate fire regimes; such as frequent fires or fires out of season.
Some species might be adversely affected by the fire frequency proposed for the buffer zones.
The more continuous fuels of scrub heath and thickets allow for a greater range in the weather conditions under which fire spread is possible; and fires may sustain under mild conditions.