Central Ranges xeric scrub

25°44′21.29″S 128°59′44.58″E

Central Ranges xeric scrub
Finke Gorge National Park
Ecology
Realm	Australasian
Biome	Deserts and xeric shrublands
Borders	List Gibson Desert Great Sandy–Tanami desert Great Victoria Desert Simpson Desert Tirari–Sturt stony desert
Geography
Area	287,406 km2 (110,968 sq mi)
Country	Australia
States	Northern Territory South Australia, Western Australia
Conservation
Conservation status	Vulnerable
Protected	71,805 km2 (25%)[1]

The IBRA regions, with Central Ranges in red

The Central Ranges xeric scrub is a deserts and xeric shrublands ecoregion of Australia.^[2][3][4][5]

Location and description

The region consists of sandy plains with some areas of rocky highland. These plains have a dry climate but do get some rain in both summer and winter. This area contains the remote city of Alice Springs while the grasslands are home to a number of Indigenous Australian communities or are used for cattle grazing.

This ecoregion contains four Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia bioregions – Burt Plain, Central Ranges, Finke, and MacDonnell Ranges.

Flora

This ecoregion includes the Central Australian Mountain Ranges Centres of Plant Diversity. The habitats consists of thick, tough spinifex grassland with some wooded areas of western myall and desert oak (Acacia coriacea). The region and the MacDonnell Ranges in particular are home to a number of specialised endemic plant species including the cabbage palms of Palm Valley in Finke Gorge National Park.

Fauna

Birds include the red-tailed black cockatoo and the spinifexbird while animals include the black-flanked rock-wallaby population of the MacDonnell Ranges and the green tree frog.

Conservation and threats

Overgrazing by cattle and introduced animals including horses, donkeys and rabbits are a threat to habitats.

Protected areas

Protected areas include Finke Gorge National Park, Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park, and Watarrka National Park.