Biodiversity is the variety of all life forms – the different plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms, the genes they contain and the ecosystems they form.

Western Australia is one of the most biologically diverse regions in the world. The south-west of WA is one of the world’s 34 internationally recognised terrestrial hotspots for biodiversity and the only one recognised in Australia.

The State boasts:

• a 2.5 million square-kilometre mainland
• more than 13,500 kilometres of coastline and more than 10,000 offshore islands
• 26 of Australia’s 80 bioregions, from sub-alpine areas to tropical rainforest and desert
• 141 of Australia’s 207 mammal species, 25 of which are unique to WA
• 439 reptile species, 187 of which are unique to WA
• more than 1600 fish species
• hundreds of thousands of invertebrate species
• more than 12,000 species of vascular plants, and
• an unknown number of fungi, lichens and other non-vascular plants.