Greater Blue Mountains Area
The Greater Blue Mountains Area consists of 1.03
million ha of sandstone plateaux, escarpments and gorges dominated by
temperate eucalypt forest. The site, comprised of eight protected areas,
is noted for its representation of the evolutionary adaptation and
diversification of the eucalypts in post-Gondwana isolation on the
Australian continent. Ninety-one eucalypt taxa occur within the Greater
Blue Mountains Area which is also outstanding for its exceptional
expression of the structural and ecological diversity of the eucalypts
associated with its wide range of habitats. The site provides
significant representation of Australia's biodiversity with ten percent
of the vascular flora as well as significant numbers of rare or
threatened species, including endemic and evolutionary relict species,
such as the Wollemi pine, which have persisted in highly-restricted
microsites.