australian habitats
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The images on this large screen are glorious high quality video footage of various types of habitat throughout Australia.
An adjacent interactive panel allows you to choose which habitat they would like to view, with video images crossfading from one to another seamlessly.
Footage supplied by Totally Wild (Network 10)
arid
Arid and semi-arid regions are the largest single Australian habitat, occupying 40% of the continent.
These regions are remote and sparsely populated areas of inland Australia, defined by the presence of desert vegetation and land forms as well as by low rainfall. They are bound by median annual rainfalls of about 250 mm in the south but up to 800 mm in the north and about 500 mm in the east.
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coast
The coast is defined as the part of the land adjoining or near the ocean.
Coasts are an important part of a local ecosystem. The mixture of fresh water and salt water in estuaries provides many nutrients for marine life. Salt marshes and beaches also support a diversity of plants, animals, and insects crucial to the food chain.
Like the ocean which shapes them, coasts are a dynamic environment with constant change.
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mallee
Mallee is a woody plants that grow with multiple stems springing from an underground lignotuber, usually to a height of no more than ten metres. It is most common in plants of the genus Eucalyptus, some of which grow as single-stemmed trees initially but recover in mallee form if burnt to the ground by bushfire.
Mallee is the dominant vegetation throughout semi-arid areas of Australia with reliable winter rainfall. Within this area, they form extensive woodlands and shrublands covering over 250,000 square kilometres.
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rainforest
The most diverse ecosystem on Earth, rainforests covers only 6% of the world’s surface yet are home to two-thirds of all the living animal and plant species.
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions setting minimum normal annual rainfall between 1750–2000 mm.
Rainforests cover barely 0.3 per cent of Australia, yet more than half of our plants and animals use those forests.
rivers & lakes
Freshwater systems, such as rivers and lakes, are diverse and complex ecosystems in their own right, sustaining diverse species of native plants, fish and animals, all of which play a vital part in maintaining environmental balance.
They also play a vital role in the economy, ecology and social fabric of our society by providing clean water, food, fibre, and energy that support economies and livelihoods across the country.
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wetlands
Wetlands include swamps, marshes, billabongs, lakes, saltmarshes, mudflats, mangroves, coral reefs, fens, peatlands, or bodies of water — whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary.
Wetlands capture energy and provide food for many animals, and provide refuges for wildlife in times of drought. They also provide opportunities for recreation activities such as boating, swimming, bushwalking and bird watching.
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