About the great eastern ranges

Great Eastern Ranges corridor - NSW section – Regional partnership areas. As a response to mitigate the impacts of climate change, and other threats, the Great Eastern Ranges Initiative will strengthen conservation management and connectivity of natural lands along the great eastern ranges conservation corridor. Key Dark green: Extant woody vegetation mainly consisting of remnant forest, woodland, alpine herb fields  and heath land. Orange: Proposed NSW great eastern ranges corridor Pale yellow: Cleared or fragmented native vegetation Priority partnership areas: for establishing conservation partnerships indicated by dotted ellipses.

Location

The Great Eastern Ranges Initiative focuses on the mountainous ranges which run parallel to the east coast of Australia. In NSW, these ranges are 1200 kilometres long.

The great eastern ranges, which include the Great Dividing Range and the Great Escarpment of Eastern Australia, and in some places large sections of the intervening highlands:

• are a source of clean water for more than three-quarters of Australians
• contain the catchments for the most reliable rainfall in eastern Australia
• contain three World Heritage areas, and many national parks, nature reserves and wilderness areas
• contain almost two-thirds of NSW's vulnerable and endangered plant and animal species
• contain areas of spiritual significance to Aboriginal people, and national parks owned by Aboriginal people
• are a reservoir for biodiversity, and a 'lifeline' for biodiversity and cultural heritage
• contain rainforests with the greatest concentration of primitive flowering plants in the world – there are over 8000 plant species, of which more than 1200 are endemic
• are one of Australia's most important tourism destinations
• are the only continental-scale north–south area that can support conservation linkages in Australia over the maximum possible elevation, latitude and climate range
• are arguably the terrestrial equivalent of the Great Barrier Reef.