Desert plants dying as Uluru's climate shifts, Anangu warn
Between 2018 and 2021, record heat and drought killed desert plants at very different rates. 78% of desert oak survived. Only 10% of desert heath myrtle did.
Climate change is reshaping Australia's red heart. Between 2018 and 2021, Uluru-Kata Tjuuta had its worst drought on record.
Temperatures were far hotter than droughts a hundred years ago. Research shows native plants died at very different rates.
78% of desert oak survived the hot drought. Only 10% of desert heath myrtle did.
Scientists found the difference came down to water use. Plants that slowed growth and held onto water survived.
Those that kept growing and using water through summer dried out and died. As invasive buffel grass spreads through the park, animals dependent on native plants are struggling.
This includes hardy desert lizards. Anangu traditional owners manage the park with Parks Australia.
They are now using these research findings to adapt their land care as climate swings grow more extreme.
Why it mattersA World Heritage site supports unique wildlife and tens of thousands of years of Indigenous knowledge. Heat and drought are reshaping it in real time.
AustraliaUluru-Kata Tjuuta's changing ecology affects how Anangu manage one of Australia's most significant cultural and natural assets, and signals what heat-driven plant loss could mean across Australia's arid regions.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 4 h ago
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