{"id":898501,"date":"2026-10-29T07:44:18","date_gmt":"2026-10-29T07:44:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/898501\/"},"modified":"2026-10-29T07:44:18","modified_gmt":"2026-10-29T07:44:18","slug":"climate-change-is-killing-the-plants-of-ulur%cc%b1u-kata-tju%e1%b9%afa-an%cc%b1angu-traditional-owners-are-concerned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/898501\/","title":{"rendered":"Climate change is killing the plants of Ulur\u0331u-Kata Tju\u1e6fa. An\u0331angu traditional owners are concerned"},"content":{"rendered":"

When we hear that climate change is damaging natural environments, it conjures images of rising seas eroding coastlines<\/a>, or heatwaves bleaching<\/a> the Great Barrier Reef. But what about deserts? <\/p>\n

In Australia\u2019s red heart, the World Heritage-listed Ulur\u0331u-Kata Tju\u1e6fa National Park<\/a> hosts a spectacular array of unique plants and animals, admired by visitors from around the world. This week marks the 41st anniversary<\/a> of the official handback<\/a> of Ulur\u0331u-Kata Tju\u1e6fa to An\u0331angu, its traditional custodians.<\/p>\n

As joint managers of Ulur\u0331u-Kata Tju\u1e6fa with Parks Australia, An\u0331angu bring tens of thousands of years of accumulated knowledge to caring for these lands. But
\nlately, the local plants \u2013 and the animals that depend on them \u2013 are dying.<\/p>\n

An\u0331angu Mu\u1e6fitjulu Mala Ranger Natalie Ray explains: <\/p>\n

When we go out to look around, we see the numbers going down. We don\u2019t know
\nwhat\u2019s going on in other places in Australia or around the world, but we can see our plants and animals suffering.<\/p>\n

What is climate change doing to this special place? <\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

Participants in a drought workshop.
\n Vicki Martin<\/p>\n

Drought and soaring temperatures<\/p>\n

Between 2018 and 2021, the most severe drought on record unfolded at Ulur\u0331u-Kata Tju\u1e6fa<\/a>. While there are earlier records of very severe droughts \u2013 in the 1880s and mid-1950s to mid-60s \u2013 there is a key difference. Temperatures this century are much higher<\/a>, bringing longer, hotter and more frequent heatwaves than any other period in recorded human history. <\/p>\n

These hot droughts pose a serious risk to plants<\/a>. Following record-breaking heatwaves in 2019-20, An\u0331angu witnessed mass mortality of usually robust plants such as kurkar\u0331a or desert oak, Allocasuarina decaisneana, wanar\u0331i or mulga, Acacia aneura, and pukar\u0331a or desert heath myrtle, Aluta maisonneuvei.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

In 2020, Parks Australia and the An\u0331angu community held a workshop to talk about
\nclimate change, and concerns were raised about the effects of hot droughts. Since then, An\u0331angu have been working with scientists from Parks Australia, CSIRO and a range of universities to determine how climate change is affecting plants at Ulur\u0331u-
\nKata Tju\u1e6fa. The Mu\u1e6fitjulu Mala Rangers have been an important part of this
\npartnership.<\/p>\n

As Anangu elder Malya Teamay from the Mu\u1e6fitjulu community has said:<\/p>\n

We\u2019re worrying about this a lot [\u2026] we\u2019re here on Country and we can see that things are getting really bad.<\/p>\n

\"An\u0331angu<\/a><\/p>\n

An\u0331angu climate change timeline from 1960 to 2020. It includes official rainfall and temperature records depicted as clouds and colour swatches, along with An\u0331angu recollections and living knowledge of Country at that time. Important dates for Ulur\u0331u-Kata Tju\u1e6fa are annotated.
\n Jay Nicholson<\/p>\n

Some plants coped better than others. Why?<\/p>\n

Using novel 360-degree imaging<\/a>, scientists and Mu\u1e6fitjulu Mala Rangers found that plant dieback \u2013 characterised by the death of leaves, shoots or roots \u2013 covered hundreds of square kilometres within Ulur\u0331u-Kata Tju\u1e6fa National Park alone. An\u0331angu and researchers co-designed and conducted a series of linked research projects to understand whether different plant species coped better than others. If so, why?<\/p>\n

Following the hot drought, detailed on-Country surveys<\/a> undertaken with An\u0331angu found plant species had died at different rates. While 78% of kurkar\u0331a had survived, only 10% of pukar\u0331a had survived. Our most recent research, published this week<\/a>, suggests that how plants use water during a drought might explain why some desert species are more likely to die than others.<\/p>\n

We found that species with low rates of dieback tended to slow their growth and conserve water in their tissues. Those more likely to die were species that continued to use water for growth during summer, a strategy that might work in mild drought, but can lead to rapid water loss and death by dehydration during severe drought.<\/p>\n

As An\u0331angu Mu\u1e6fitjulu Mala Ranger Michael Swan says:<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve been out here observing and learning, working with scientists, seeing that so many of our trees here are dying off. This is happening here at our home, Ulur\u0331u,
\nMu\u1e6fitjulu. We have to take care of our Country.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

The collaborative research team worked together to share knowledge about why plants are dying at Ulur\u0331u-Kata Tju\u1e6fa.
\n Nunzio Knerr<\/p>\n

Profound consequences<\/p>\n

An\u0331angu are concerned about what the mass death of plants means for their land. When certain native plants die, it clears a path for other species, often with profound consequences. The invasive weed buffel grass, Cenchrus ciliaris, is spreading rapidly through Ulur\u0331u-Kata Tju\u1e6fa, crowding out native plant species and
\nchoking waterholes. <\/p>\n

Animals dependent on native plants are also feeling the heat, with An\u0331angu observing hardy desert lizards dying and birds dropping from trees during extreme heatwaves.<\/p>\n

An\u0331angu are using these shared research findings to inform the management of Ulur\u0331u-Kata Tju\u1e6fa under increasing climate extremes. But the problem can\u2019t be tackled alone: An\u0331angu, scientists and governments must work together.<\/p>\n

As An\u0331angu Mu\u1e6fitjulu Mala Ranger Natalie Ray says:<\/p>\n

We feel that the changes need to be happening right now, that this air pollution has to stop for the sake of our children and the generations to come, so that the Country can remain healthy and strong for them too.\u2019<\/p>\n

Many representatives of the Mutitjulu Community and Mu\u1e6fitjulu Community Mala Rangers have been actively collaborating in this research. This research was largely funded by Parks Australia, with substantial in-kind contributions from CSIRO, University of New England, The Australian National University and University of Technology Sydney.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When we hear that climate change is damaging natural environments, it conjures images of rising seas eroding coastlines,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":898502,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[192,79],"class_list":["post-898501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-environment","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/898501","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=898501"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/898501\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/898502"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=898501"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=898501"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=898501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}