1.1.7 Ecology

Summary

The Sydney Basin bioregion features a shale/clay basin surrounded by sandstone plateaux as well as rolling hills and coastal alluvial plains. It also exhibits some of the highest levels of species diversity in Australia largely as a result of the variety of rock types, topography and climates in the bioregion. It includes lagoons, estuaries and coastal lake systems, as well as a variety of vegetation types such as rainforest, wet and dry sclerophyll forest, and hanging swamps. The Wollemi National Park is home to several endemic species including the Wollemi pine. The Sydney Basin bioregion contains approximately 50 endangered or vulnerable plant communities, 26 endangered populations, nine endangered or vulnerable fungi, 222 endangered or vulnerable plants and 154 endangered or vulnerable animals listed under NSW’s Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (the TSC Act). Under the Commonwealth’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the EPBC Act), 133 flora species and 117 fauna species are listed either as critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable and/or migratory. Two hundred and three surface water features and 310 vegetation ecosystems are classified as groundwater-dependent ecosystems.