Charles Darwin Reserve

Charles Darwin Reserve is a 686 km2 nature reserve in Western Australia. Formerly Whitewells Station, it is 90 km from Wubin and 355 km north of Perth. It lies within the South West Botanical Province on the northern edge of the Wheatbelt, and is owned and managed by Bush Heritage Australia (BHA), by which it was purchased and renamed in 2003.[1] The purchase of the reserve was partly funded by a donation by Charles Darwin's great-great-grandson Chris Darwin.

Natural values

The reserve has a semi-arid Mediterranean climate with an annual average, mainly winter, rainfall of 282 mm. It protects York gum and salmon gum woodlands as well as heath and sand-plains. The old-growth woodlands contain tree-hollows suitable for many animals. Birds recorded on the reserve include malleefowl, Australian bustards, Major Mitchell's cockatoos, peregrine falcons, crested bellbirds, and the Wheatbelt form of the white-browed babbler. Mammals include short-beaked echidnas, euros and red kangaroos.[1]

Important Bird Area

The importance of the reserve for Malleefowl conservation is one reason it was designated an IBA; the image is from the Yongergnow Malleefowl Centre at Ongerup, WA.

The reserve, along with the neighbouring Mount Gibson Sanctuary, forms part of the 2335 km2 Mount Gibson and Charles Darwin Important Bird Area (IBA), so identified by BirdLife International principally because it supports populations of malleefowl and western corellas, as well as several other species restricted to either the arid or mallee biomes.[2]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 BHA: Charles Darwin Reserve
  2. ↑ "IBA: Mount Gibson and Charles Darwin". Birdata. Birds Australia. Retrieved 2011-08-21.

External links

Coordinates: 29°34′55″S 116°57′50″E / 29.582°S 116.964°E