Pungalina
Pungalina is a vast conservation reserve on the fringe the Gulf of Carpentaria in the Northern Territory of Australia. Featuring rugged Proterozoic sandstone escarpments, natural waterfalls and a network of steep-sided gorges and canyons, Pungalina is defined by the Calvert River - a river of national significance in Ausralia[1]. The area is home to hundreds of unique and rare Australian flora and fauna.
Geography
Pungalina is a vast land mass covering 195,000 hectares (482,000 acres) in outback of north eastern Northern Territory, Australia. The area is on the edge of a rugged Proterozoic sandstone plateau, overlooking the floodplains that fringe the Gulf of Carpentaria. The area is carved by the Calvert River, which collects the annual monsoon rains into a network of gorges before dropping down off the plateau and heading north to the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Ecosystem
Pungalina is blanketed in a wide variety of savanna woodlands, wetlands, riparian strips and vine thickets. The Calvert River is home to threatened species such as the Freshwater Sawfish, the Red Goshawk, the Australian Bustard and freshwater crocodiles. It is also believed that the River contains three species of reptiles, the Carpentarian Ctenotus, the Borroloola Delta and also the Gulf Snapping Turtle.
The Calvert River is listed by the Northern Territory government as a ‘Biodiversity Site of National Conservation Significance’[2].
The Calvert River is lined with tall Paperbarks, River Red Gums and an understorey of Pandanus and Freshwater Mangroves which provide habitat for some of northern Australia’s rarest birds, including the White-browed Robin and Purple-crowned Fairy-wren. The sandstone walls of the gorges are etched by gullies with thick fire sensitive vegetation.
The table below provides a summary of the ecological significance of Pungalina.
| Size | 195,000 ha |
| Bioregion | Gulf Coastal Bioregion |
| Species present | Pungalina supports an estimated: 500 plant species 20 frog species 75 reptile species 170 bird species 35 mammal species |
| Threatened species | Pungalina supports at least 13 fauna species listed as threatened, including the Freshwater Sawfish and Australian Bustard |
| Ecosystems | At least 14 vegetation types, based on Northern Terrioty vegetation mapping 5 communities are recognized as threatened |
-
The scenery at Pungalina
-
Bluff Waterhole at Pungaline
Ecological threats
In general, the region around the Gulf of Carpentaria has experienced a greater degree of pastoral intensification than other areas of the Northern Territory and the Kimberley. This includes heavier grazing pressure, a more dramatic change in fire patterns and weed encroachment. Pungalina is a stark exception to this general pattern, with a history of low stocking rates, few weeds, very small populations of feral animal species and no woody thickening.
It thus provides an important refuge area, as well as being in a prime position in the centre of the Gulf for facilitating the implementation of regional conservation programs.
| Ecological priorities | Establishment of infrastructure control of weeds fire management biological surveys and monitoring control of pigs |
Protection efforts
The Wildlife Australia Fund, a United States based charitable trust and supported by Australian expatriates in the New York City is actively fundraising to support a contract to purchase Pungalina. The Wildlife Australia Fund sees the acquisition of Pungalina as vitally important for the conservation of a suite of unique Australian animals.