Ecoregions in Australia are geographically distinct plant and animal communities, defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature based on geology, soils, climate, and predominant vegetation.

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) identified 825 terrestrial ecoregions that cover the Earth's land surface, 40 of which cover Australia and its dependent islands. The WWF ecoregions are classified by biome type (tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands, tundra, etc.), and into one of eight terrestrial realms. Australia, together with New Zealand, New Guinea and neighboring island groups, is part of the Australasian realm. The IBRA bioregions informed the delineation of the WWF ecoregions for Australia, and the WWF ecoregions generally follow the same ecoregion boundaries, while often clustering two or more similar bioregions into a larger ecoregion. The ecoregion articles in Wikipedia generally follow the WWF scheme.

The WWF ecoregions are based heavily upon the Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) regionalisation. Like the IBRA, it was developed for use as a planning tool for conservation science, with the goal of establishing a system of nature reserves in each of the ecoregions or bioregions sufficient to preserve biodiversity. Both systems also have a prioritization system for establishing preserves; the WWF designated its Global 200 ecoregions as priorities for conservation, and the Department of Environment and Heritage ranks its bioregions high, medium, or low priority, based on "the potential value land reservation in those regions would add to the development of a comprehensive, adequate and representative reserve system for Australia."

WWF terrestrial ecoregions Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Lord Howe Island subtropical forests Norfolk Island subtropical forests Queensland tropical rain forests Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests Eastern Australian temperate forests Southeast Australia temperate forests Tasmanian Central Highlands forests Tasmanian temperate forests Tasmanian temperate rain forests Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands Arnhem Land tropical savanna Brigalow tropical savanna Cape York Peninsula tropical savanna Carpentaria tropical savanna Einasleigh Uplands savanna Kimberley tropical savanna Mitchell Grass Downs Victoria Plains tropical savanna Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands Eastern Australia mulga shrublands Southeast Australia temperate savanna Montane grasslands and shrublands Australian Alps montane grasslands Tundra Antipodes Subantarctic Islands tundra (Australia, New Zealand) Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub Coolgardie woodlands Esperance mallee Eyre and York mallee Jarrah-Karri forest and shrublands Swan Coastal Plain scrub and woodlands Mount Lofty woodlands Murray-Darling woodlands and mallee Naracoorte woodlands Southwest Australia savanna Southwest Australia woodlands Deserts and xeric shrublands Carnarvon xeric shrublands Central Ranges xeric scrub Gibson Desert Great Sandy-Tanami desert Great Victoria Desert Nullarbor Plain xeric shrublands Pilbara shrublands Simpson Desert Tirari–Sturt stony desert Western Australian mulga shrublands

WWF terrestrial ecoregions and IBRA bioregions This table shows which IBRA bioregions correspond to which WWF ecoregions."Australia's bioregions (IBRA)". Department of Agriculture, Water, and Environment, Australian Government. Accessed 27 May 2020. Olson, D. M., Dinerstein, E., Wikramanayake, E. D., Burgess, N. D., Powell, G. V. N., Underwood, E. C., D'Amico, J. A., Itoua, I., Strand, H. E., Morrison, J. C., Loucks, C. J., Allnutt, T. F., Ricketts, T. H., Kura, Y., Lamoreux, J. F., Wettengel, W. W., Hedao, P., Kassem, K. R. 2001. Terrestrial ecoregions of the world: a new map of life on Earth. Bioscience 51(11):933-938.

IBRA 7 bioregion WWF ecoregion Arnhem Coast (ARC) Arnhem Land tropical savanna Arnhem Plateau (ARP) Arnhem Land tropical savanna Australian Alps (AUA) Australian Alps montane grasslands Avon Wheatbelt (AVW) Southwest Australia savanna Brigalow Belt North (BBN) Brigalow tropical savanna Brigalow Belt South (BBS) Brigalow tropical savanna Brigalow Belt South (BBS), southern portion Southeast Australia temperate savanna Ben Lomond (BEL) Tasmanian temperate forests Broken Hill Complex (BHC) Tirari-Sturt stony desert Burt Plain (BRT) Central Ranges xeric scrub Carnarvon (CAR) Carnarvon xeric shrublands Central Arnhem (CEA) Arnhem Land tropical savanna Central Kimberley (CEK) Kimberley tropical savanna Central Ranges (CER) Central Ranges xeric scrub Channel Country (CHC) Simpson Desert Central Mackay Coast (CMC) Queensland tropical rain forests Coolgardie (COO) Coolgardie woodlands Cobar Peneplain (COP) Southeast Australia temperate savanna Coral Sea (COS) Cape York Peninsula (CYP) Cape York Peninsula tropical savanna Daly Basin (DAB) Kimberley tropical savanna Darwin Coastal (DAC) Arnhem Land tropical savanna Dampierland (DAL) Kimberley tropical savanna Desert Uplands (DEU) Mitchell Grass Downs Davenport Murchison Ranges (DMR) Great Sandy-Tanami desert Darling Riverine Plains (DRP) Southeast Australia temperate savanna Einasleigh Uplands (EIU) Einasleigh Uplands savanna Esperance Plains (ESP) Esperance mallee Eyre Yorke Block (EYB) Eyre and York mallee Finke (FIN) Central Ranges xeric scrub Flinders Lofty Block (FLB), northern portion Tirari-Sturt stony desert Flinders Lofty Block (FLB), southern portion Mount Lofty woodlands Furneaux (FUR) Tasmanian temperate forests Gascoyne (GAS) Western Australian mulga shrublands Gawler (GAW) Tirari-Sturt stony desert Geraldton Sandplains (GES) Southwest Australia savanna Gulf Fall and Uplands (GFU) Carpentaria tropical savanna Gibson Desert (GID) Gibson Desert Great Sandy Desert (GSD) Great Sandy-Tanami desert Gulf Coastal (GUC) Carpentaria tropical savanna Gulf Plains (GUP) Carpentaria tropical savanna Great Victoria Desert (GVD) Great Victoria Desert Hampton (HAM) Coolgardie woodlands Indian Tropical Islands (ITI) Christmas and Cocos Islands tropical forests Jarrah Forest (JAF) Southwest Australian woodlands Kanmantoo (KAN) Mount Lofty woodlands King (KIN) Tasmanian temperate rain forests Little Sandy Desert (LSD) Great Sandy-Tanami desert MacDonnell Ranges (MAC) Central Ranges xeric scrub Mallee (MAL) Esperance mallee Murray Darling Depression (MDD) Murray-Darling woodlands and mallee Mitchell Grass Downs (MGD) Mitchell Grass Downs Mount Isa Inlier (MII) Mitchell Grass Downs Mulga Lands (MUL) Eastern Australian mulga shrublands Murchison (MUR) Western Australian mulga shrublands Nandewar (NAN) Eastern Australian temperate forests Naracoorte Coastal Plain (NCP) Naracoorte woodlands New England Tablelands (NET) Eastern Australian temperate forests New South Wales North Coast (NNC) Eastern Australian temperate forests Northern Kimberley (NOK) Kimberley tropical savanna New South Wales South Western Slopes (NSS) Southeast Australia temperate forests Nullarbor (NUL) Nullarbor Plains xeric shrublands Ord Victoria Plain (OVP) Victoria Plains tropical savanna Pine Creek (PCK) Arnhem Land tropical savanna Pilbara (PIL) Pilbara shrublands Pacific Subtropical Islands (PSI) Lord Howe Island subtropical forests, Norfolk Island subtropical forests Riverina (RIV) Southeast Australia temperate savanna Subantarctic Islands (SAI) Antipodes Subantarctic Islands tundra South East Coastal Plain (SCP) Southeast Australia temperate forests South East Corner (SEC) Southeast Australia temperate forests South Eastern Highlands (SEH) Southeast Australia temperate forests South Eastern Queensland (SEQ) Eastern Australian temperate forests Simpson Strzelecki Dunefields (SSD) Simpson Desert Stony Plains (STP) Tirari-Sturt stony desert Sturt Plateau (STU) Victoria Plains tropical savanna Southern Volcanic Plain (SVP) Southeast Australia temperate forests Swan Coastal Plain (SWA) Swan Coastal Plain scrub and woodlands Sydney Basin (SYB) Eastern Australian temperate forests Tanami (TAN) Great Sandy-Tanami desert Tasmanian Central Highlands (TCH) Tasmanian Central Highlands forests Tiwi Cobourg (TIW) Arnhem Land tropical savanna Tasmanian Northern Midlands (TNM) Tasmanian Central Highlands forests Tasmanian Northern Slopes (TNS) Tasmanian temperate rain forests Tasmanian South East (TSE) Tasmanian temperate forests Tasmanian Southern Ranges (TSR) Tasmanian temperate rain forests Tasmanian West (TWE) Tasmanian temperate rain forests Victoria Bonaparte (VIB) Kimberley tropical savanna Victorian Midlands (VIM) Southeast Australia temperate forests Warren (WAR) Jarrah-Karri forest and shrublands Wet Tropics (WET) Queensland tropical rain forests Yalgoo (YAL) Southwest Australia savanna

WWF freshwater ecoregions The WWF published Freshwater Ecoregions of the World, a global map of freshwater ecoregions. The WWF team identified ten freshwater ecoregions for Australia and Tasmania. A major habitat type, or biome, was identified for each ecoregion. The four major habitat types present in Australia are tropical and subtropical coastal rivers, temperate coastal rivers, temperate floodplain rivers and wetlands, and xeric freshwaters and endorheic (closed) basins. The Australian freshwater ecoregions were adapted from the freshwater fish biogeographic provinces identified by Peter Unmack and G.R. Allen, S.H. Midgley, and M. Allen, who were also part of the WWF team. The freshwater fish provinces "were derived through similarity analyses, parsimony analysis, and drainage-based plots of species ranges".Robin Abell, Michele L. Thieme, et al. (2008). "Freshwater Ecoregions of the World: A New Map of Biogeographic Units for Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation". BioScience, Volume 58, Issue 5, May 2008, Pages 403–414, https://doi.org/10.1641/B580507

Tropical and subtropical coastal rivers Arafura–Carpentaria Kimberley

Temperate coastal rivers Bass Strait Drainages Eastern Coastal Australia Southern Tasmania Southwestern Australia

Temperate floodplain rivers and wetlands Murray–Darling

Xeric freshwaters and endorheic (closed) basins Lake Eyre Basin Paleo Pilbara

See also

Environment of Australia

References