Location
Cumberland Plain SuperSite is located in remnant Eucalyptus woodland in the Cumberland Plain, at the University of Western Sydney's Hawkesbury campus in Richmond, New South Wales. Associated research extends into the Blue Mountains ecoregion. These sclerophyll woodlands occur on nutrient-poor alluvium deposited by the Nepean River from sandstone and shale bedrock in the Blue Mountains. Despite this they support high regional biodiversity and endemic biota.
Cumberland Plain woodland is a critically endangered ecological community found only in the Sydney Basin Bioregion. It faces major pressures including invasive weeds, altered fire regimes, Western Sydney’s urban development, conversion to agriculture, and extreme climate events.
The Cumberland Plain SuperSite has a focal core 1 ha adjacent to the University of Western Sydney,Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment's OzFlux eddy covariance tower and in close proximity to the Free Air CO2 Enrichment (FACE) experiment, EucFACE.
Research question:
- What are the processes controlling biogeochemical fluxes and the impacts of extreme climate events and climate change on biodiversity, conservation management and restoration of remnant Eucalyptus woodland and pastures of the Cumberland Plain (Sydney Basin).