Taunton National Park
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Taunton National Park Queensland |
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IUCN category II (national park)
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 Taunton National Park
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| Nearest town or city | Emerald |
| Coordinates | 23°32′00″S 149°13′17″E / 23.53333°S 149.22139°ECoordinates: 23°32′00″S 149°13′17″E / 23.53333°S 149.22139°E |
| Established | 1986 |
| Area | 116 km2 (44.8 sq mi) |
| Managing authorities | Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service |
| See also | Protected areas of Queensland |
Taunton National Park is situated near the town of Dingo approximately 135 km inland from Rockhampton in eastern Central Queensland, Australia. The park encompasses an area of 11,626 ha (28,730 acres) within the Northern Brigalow Belt bioregion of Queensland; a region widely recognised to contain considerable biodiversity.
Taunton National Park is designated as a strictly scientific nature reserve due to its importance in ensuring the ongoing survival and protection of the endangered bridled nail-tail wallaby (Onychogalea fraenata). The wallabies protection has facilitated natural processes within reserve boundaries, protected ecosystem communities from further agricultural disturbances in the surrounding landscape, provided habitats for native fauna and helped conserve a wide range of biodiversity.
Cracking clay soils and brigalow vegetation species are dominant in the northern region of the park, while texture-contrast soils in combination with Eucalypt communities dominate the western region. The parks topography is reasonably even, with a gradual slope from the north and western ends of the park towards the eastern and southern margins. The regions climate is described as subtropical and semi-arid; with a mean annual rainfall of 711 mm, half of which is confined to the summer months - December to February. The distribution of rainfall over such a condensed period leaves the area prone to droughts; with a sustained drought event occurring, on average, once a decade. The most recent drought of significance occurred between 1991 and 1995 with detrimental impacts on the surviving bridled nailtail wallaby population.
As is typical of the tropical savannah in the Northern Brigalow Belt, a combination of open, grassy Eucalypt woodlands, transitional zones and regrowing Acacia shrub-lands and forests comprise Taunton National Parks main vegetation zones. The most common vegetation associations within the park and surrounding areas, tend to be dominated by either brigalow (Acacia harpophylla) or poplar box (Eucalyptus populnea) species, which commonly occur along with other Acacia and Ecualyptus spp. Water-bodies present within the park boundaries consist of 15 dams and a small number of creeks.
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Wikipedia