The Littoral Rainforests of New South Wales is a group of fragmented and

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...

ecological communities found by the coast in eastern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Much of this seaside form has been destroyed by mining, tourist development or housing. It is threatened by extinction in the near future. 90% of the 433 sites are less than ten hectares in size. Littoral

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

amounts to 0.6% of the rainforests in New South Wales. The littoral rainforests of Australia extends from

North Queensland North Queensland or the Northern Region is the northern part of the Australian state of Queensland that lies just south of Far North Queensland. Queensland is a massive state, larger than many countries, and its tropical northern part has been ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

and many offshore islands, with a minority found within New South Wales.http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicshowcommunity.pl?id=76&status=Critically+Endangered

Description and location

Usually seen within 2 kilometres of the coast, from

Mimosa Rocks National Park Mimosa Rocks is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, 329 km southwest of Sydney near the towns of Tathra and Bermagui. The park is close to Bournda National Park and forms part of the Ulladulla to Merimbula Important Bird Are ...

in the south to the border with the state of

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. the forest has a closed canopy of around 70% shade. Trees may be up to 30 metres tall in sheltered sites. But it is more often seen 5 to 15 metres tall. This forest type has been considered a form of sub-tropical rainforest, as only a few rainforest species are restricted to littoral sites.

Plant species

Plants often have thick and leathery leaves, as a protection against sea winds. Vines are common. Tree species are often from the following botanical families:

Myrtaceae Myrtaceae, the myrtle family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, pōhutukawa, bay rum tree, clove, guava, acca (feijoa), allspice, and eucalyptus are some notable members of this group. All speci ...

Lauraceae Lauraceae, or the laurels, is a plant family that includes the true laurel and its closest relatives. This family comprises about 2850 known species in about 45 genera worldwide (Christenhusz & Byng 2016 ). They are dicotyledons, and occur ma ...

Sapindaceae The Sapindaceae are a family of flowering plants in the order Sapindales known as the soapberry family. It contains 138 genera and 1858 accepted species. Examples include horse chestnut, maples, ackee and lychee. The Sapindaceae occur in tempera ...

Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family, is a large family of flowering plants. In English, they are also commonly called euphorbias, which is also the name of a genus in the family. Most spurges, such as ''Euphorbia paralias'', are herbs, but some, e ...

Moraceae The Moraceae — often called the mulberry family or fig family — are a family of flowering plants comprising about 38 genera and over 1100 species. Most are widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, less so in temperate climates; however ...

, &

Rutaceae The Rutaceae is a family, commonly known as the rueRUTACEAE
in BoDD – Botanical Derm ...

. Salt tolerant species such as Plum Pine,

Tuckeroo ''Cupaniopsis anacardioides'', with common names tuckeroo, carrotwood, beach tamarind and green-leaved tamarind, is a species of flowering tree in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae, that is native to eastern and northern Australia. The usual ...

Red Fruited Olive Plum ''Elaeodendron australe'', commonly known as red olive-berry, red-fruited olive plum, or blush boxwood, is a species of flowering plant in the family Celastraceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a shrub or small tree with egg-shaped t ...

, Black Apple,

Mock Olive Mock olive is a common name for several plants and may refer to: * Large mock-olive * Privet mock olive * Veined mock olive See also * Mock (disambiguation) Mock is an imitation, usually of lesser quality Mock may refer to: Names *Mock (surna ...

and Bolwarra are often encountered.

Endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...

species include the

Coast Fontainea ''Fontainea oraria'' is a rare rainforest plant growing near the sea on private property near Lennox Head, New South Wales, Australia. The common name is coast fontainea. A survey in 2005 found there are only ten mature plants, and 45 seedlin ...

and the

Scented Acronychia ''Acronychia littoralis'', commonly known as the scented acronychia, is a species of small tree that is endemic to eastern coastal Australia. It has simple, glabrous, elliptic to egg-shaped leaves, small groups of yellow flowers and egg-shaped t ...

. Ferns are less often seen than in nearby sub-tropical rainforests. Non rainforest species are occasionally seen in these forests, such as the Coast Banksia (

Banksia integrifolia ''Banksia integrifolia'', commonly known as the coast banksia, is a species of tree that grows along the east coast of Australia. One of the most widely distributed ''Banksia'' species, it occurs between Victoria (Australia), Victoria and Cen ...

) and Bangalay (

Eucalyptus botryoides ''Eucalyptus botryoides'', commonly known as the bangalay, bastard jarrah, woollybutt or southern mahogany, is a small to tall tree native to southeastern Australia. Reaching up to high, it has rough bark on its trunk and branches. It is found ...

Environmental factors

The rainforest grows on beach sand, quartz-rich sediments, meta-sediments or on coastal headlands enriched by volcanic minerals. Sea winds add fertility to the sandy soils, with air borne minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus. Relative humidity is high, and the climate is equable with higher minimum temperatures than further inland. Rainfall is generally over one metre per year. Salt scalding from the sea winds often produces an even and dense canopy. Weeds are a threat to the remaining areas. Biting insects and ticks, dense foliage and a variety of reptiles has not endeared this habitat to modern humans.

Examples

Examples of this rainforest type may be found from as far south as

, Seven Mile Beach, Burning Palms and Barrenjoey. Further north it is preserved at sites such as

Sea Acres National Park The Sea Acres National Park is a national park that is located in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The park is situated near the town of Port Macquarie. The park is a popular tourist area with a long boardw ...

Broken Head Nature Reserve The Broken Head Nature Reserve is a protected nature reserve located in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia, adjacent to the promontory of Broken Head which lies approximately 9 km south of Cape Byron, the easternmost point o ...

, and

Brunswick Heads Nature Reserve The Brunswick Heads Nature Reserve is a protected nature reserve located in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. The reserve is situated near Brunswick Heads and contains an intact segment of littoral rainforest. Situated ...

. The largest littoral rainforest in

NSW ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

is at Iluka Nature Reserve which is part of the

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

Gondwana Rainforests of Australia The Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, formerly known as the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves, are the most extensive area of subtropical rainforest in the world. Collectively, the rainforests are a World Heritage Site with fifty separate res ...

inscribed in 1986 and added to the

Australian National Heritage List The Australian National Heritage List or National Heritage List (NHL) is a heritage register, a list of national heritage places deemed to be of outstanding heritage significance to Australia, established in 2003. The list includes natural and ...

in 2007.

References

* {{Cite web , url= http://www.environment.gov.au/epbc/publications/littoral-rainforest.html , publisher= Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Australian Government , date=March 2009 , title= Littoral rainforests and coastal vine thickets of eastern Australia , work= Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) policy statement – Nationally threatened species and ecological communities guidelines , accessdate= 22 Mar 2013 Geography of New South Wales Forests of New South Wales Endangered ecological communities