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Global warming is already affecting the alpine regions of the world. Warming has been associated with upward movement of some plant populations by 1 – 4 m per decade on mountain tops, and some loss of plants that formerly were restricted to high elevations (IPCCb, 2001). Alpine plants and animals are restricted to an area between the treeline and the mountain summit. In Australia there are more than 250 species of alpine plants that grow only in this restricted habitat (La Trobe University, 2001). As Australia continues to warm, the alpine environment and its plants and animals will need to move further up mountains to retain the desirable climate conditions. However as Australia’s mountains are low, climate change may leave the species with nowhere to go. Change is already occurring in Australia’s alpine regions. The treeline near Mount Hotham in Victoria has moved up forty metres to an area that has not had any trees for the past twenty-five years. As the trees move into this area, alpine plants can be displaced (La Trobe University, 2001). With a small change in the global average temperature, the alpine environment of Mount Bogong in Victoria will need to move up the mountain from 1750 metres to 1900 metres. If warming continues these species will have nowhere to move, as this mountain is only 1940 metres high (Busby, 1988 ; Mansergh, 2001). Australia’s highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko, is 2228 metres high and the alpine environment begins at 1800 metres. With climate change this alpine environment will need to rise to 2000 metres to remain within a suitable climate (Busby, 1988). Climate change will see an 18 – 66 percent reduction in the area of snow cover by 2030 and a 39 – 96 percent reduction by 2070 (Pittock and Wratt, 2001). With a small change in temperature the only places in Australia that will retain alpine ecosystems will be the tops of 6 mountains (Busby 1988). A 3°C rise, predicted for the next 100 years, would raise the snowline level above the highest peaks in the Alps (Coyne, 2001). 
Kosciuszko National Park From 1970 to 1996 there appeared to be a decreasing trend in the number of days on which snow was recorded in the Snowy Mountains, which correlates with both warm regional temperatures and higher average temperatures across all of Australia (NPWS, 2001). The national park surrounding Australia’s highest mountain is home to less than 500 Mountain Pygmy-Possums Burramys parvus. Warming due to climate change is likely to threaten its survival because B. parvus needs 70cm – 1 metre of snow to keep warm during winter hibernation. Snow acts like a doona, keeping the temperature at 2°C, and the projected decrease of snow cover will expose the possums to more extreme cold. Climate change is also predicted to reduce the possum’s available habitat (currently only about 4 square kms (NPWS, 2001). The entire climatic habitat of the Mountain Pygmy-possum will be lost with only 1°C warming (Brereton et al. 1995). Climate change also threatens alpine plants, with 47 percent of the 190 plant species in the alpine region of Mt. Kosciuszko identified as vulnerable to global warming (Coyne, 2001). The financial value of expenditure by tourists to the National Park was worth $640 million in 1991 – 92 (Driml, 1994). Bushwalking and nature appreciation brings more visitors to the NSW Alps than skiing (CRCST, 2001) so a decline in alpine animals and plants may affect tourism. Cooma, which is the service centre for the national park, will feel the economic impacts from any decline in tourists.
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Kosciuszko National Park Image courtesy of World Wide Fund For Nature
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