An assessment of the vulnerability of Australia's biodiversity to climate change was commissioned by the
Australian Government to help increase our understanding of how to help Australia's rich biodiversity
adapt to climate change.
The assessment finds that Australia's biodiversity is at risk from even moderate climate change and already
under stress, for example from habitat degradation, changed fire regimes and invasive species.
Climate change is likely to exacerbate these existing stressors and add additional stresses such as through
declining water availability.
Australia is one of 17 megadiverse countries
- a group of countries that harbour more than 70% of the Earth's species and are therefore considered
extremely biodiverse.
Australia has many species that are unique to Australia and vulnerable to climate change.
About 85% of Australia's terrestrial mammals, 91% of flowering plants, and 90% of reptiles and frogs are found
nowhere else in the world. More than 50% of the world's marsupial species occur only in Australia.
Rates of extinction of species are likely to increase as the global average temperature rises by just
1.0 or 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, and likely to accelerate sharply as temperature rises beyond
2°C.
The assessment was undertaken by an independent group of experts, led by Professor Will Steffen, for the
Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council.
Read the assessment
Australia's Biodiversity and Climate
Change (PDF 3.2 MB)
- A report to the Natural Resource Ministerial Council commissioned by the Australian Government. Prepared by
the Biodiversity and Climate Change Expert Advisory Group.
Note: The above document is a pre-publication 'non-printable' PDF. The published book is available at
CSIRO Publishing.
Summary for policy makers 2009 (PDF 1.2
MB)
- Summary of a report to the Natural Resource Ministerial Council commissioned by the Australian Government.
Technical synthesis (PDF 1.7 MB)
- Technical synthesis of a report to the Natural Resource Ministerial Council commissioned by the Australian
Government.
Fact sheets
The vulnerability of Australia's
biodiversity to climate change- Overview (PDF 270 kB)
Climate change, fire and the little
penguin (PDF 306 kB)
Climate change and invasive species
(PDF 297 kB)
The Great Barrier Reef and climate
change (PDF 290 kB)
Kakadu
- A climate change hotspot (PDF 308 kB)