Climate is one of the dominant driving forces behind the diversity of life and landscape found in the Wet Tropics region. It is no coincidence that the word "wet" appears in the region's name. The mean annual rainfall across the Wet Tropics is 1,580 mm - more than triple the long-term Australian average of 472 mm. This rainfall is seasonal and dominated by major events such as rain depressions and cyclones during the summer wet season.

Evidence of climate change - a generally increasing trend in global surface temperature - is now considered irrefutable. Human induced climate change is already changing rainfall patterns and temperatures across the globe.

Ecosystems of the Wet Tropics, such as rainforests, are highly sensitive to climate change, especially changes to rainfall and temperature. A temperature increase of one degree Celsius and a reduction in rainfall of 10 per cent would reduce highland rainforest environments by almost 50 per cent, with significant impacts to individual plant and animal species, as well as broader ecosystems and landscape function.  Projected changes also include coastal inundation, drier dry seasons, and loss of many endemic rainforest animals species and less water in our streams and rivers.

Given the impacts predicted for the Wet Tropics region due to accelerated Climate Change, Terrain's Climate programs have a strong emphasis on this cross-cutting threat.

Terrain's Climate related programs focus primarily on information and practical community driven mitigation actions and support for local governments to drive regional adaptation strategies.

Terrain's National Approach...read more

Climate Education

Carbon Trading

Useful external links

Australian Bureau of Meteorology - Climate Change

Wet Tropics Management Authority: "Pressures on the World Heritage Area - Climate Change"