The East Asian-Australian Flyway Zone

Biodiversity
Rice farms are homes for many types of plants and animals. The rice farmers protect the biodiversity of the region and maintain the ecosystems for the benefit of nature and also to their farms.

Geography of the area - the earth
The plain is a landscape made up of riverine and aeolian sediment. It is a gently sloping alluvial fan, tilting westwards from the major river valleys in the eastern highlands. This plain is good for growing rice because water must be able to flow evenly across the land so that it reaches all of the rice plants.

The major soil types are clays, red brown earths and sand hill soils. The soils are characteristically low in organic matter. The soil is also relatively low in nitrogen, phosphorus and zinc, and therefore suitable for agriculture.

Geography of the area - the plants
The natural vegetation of the Riverine Plain  ranges from sclerophyll forest, dominated by eucalypts, in the eastern foothill section of the plain, through to woodlands and scrub steppe in the west. The change in vegetation parallels the decrease in rainfall from the east to the west across the landscape. Visit the NSW National Parks and Wildlife web site for more details.

Geography of the area - the animals
The fauna of the Riverine Plain reflects the diversity of habitats available.

Significant fauna known to occur in the riverine forests of the Riverina Bioregion include the superb parrot (Polytelis swainsoni), sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps), feathertail glider (Acrobates pygmaeus), squirrel glider (Petaurus norfolcensis), brush-tailed phascogale (Phascogale tapoatafa), koala (Phascolarctos cinereus), carpet python (Morelia spilota), freckled duck (Stictonetta naevosa) and peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus)
NSW National Parks and Wildlife

Birds
The area comprises of about 100 species of birds, such as honey eaters, flycatchers, thornbills, pigeons and parrots. In fact, the Riverina rice region has become part of the East Asian-Australian Flyway Zone, an international corridor for migratory journeys of many bird species, including water birds that would not otherwise be seen in this part of the world.

Mammals
Mammals include larger species such as kangaroos, bats and possums.

Reptiles
Reptiles include goannas, geckoes, dragons, skinks and snakes.

The rice bays and irrigation channels are an ideal home for insects and animals including tortoises and frogs. Research has shown that around 40 billion frogs are found on rice farms throughout the Riverine Plain and the endangered Southern Bell Frog relies on the rice industry for its survival.

The Biodiversity Strategy and Plan was developed by CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems and the Rice Growers' Association of Australia to provide practical guidelines for rice farmers so that they can maintain and improve biodiversity. This ensures that plants and animals can live productively with the rice growing environment.

Further Internet resources:
Topographic map
Climate of the Riverina
Landform of the Riverina
Caring for our Natural Resources
Water quality and river flow
The plain's climate

resource:
Drawing and interpreting climate graphs