Editing Mallee Cliffs National Park (section)

===Flora===
The park preserves undisturbed tracts of mallee vegetation, and [[rosewood]]-belah woodland. Mallee are small [[eucalyptus]] trees and shrubs with many small stems and thick underground roots that retain water. Before irrigation farming began, dense thickets of mallee characterized most of northwestern Victoria, and areas of south-western New South Wales.<ref name="FMP"/> The park contains an important representation of mallee communities, including both bull mallee and whipstick mallee. These flora types are continuing to be extensively cleared on private property for grazing both immediately outside the park and throughout the country. The park contains a number of isolated, relict plant communities that demonstrate shifts in the pattern of vegetation arising from long-term environmental change.<ref name="FNPW"/>

In January 1975 a [[Bushfires in Australia|bushfire]] ravaged the region which later became national park, making the average age of the vegetation considerably younger than similar protected areas. This makes the park a less attractive option for release of certain animals such as the [[black-eared miner]], which use older trees and mallee bushes as habitat.<ref>{{cite web|title=National recovery plan for the Black-eared Miner Manorina melanotis 2002–2006|first=David |last = Baker-Gabb |date=February 2001|publisher=[[Australian Government]]:[[Department of the Environment (Australia)|Department of the Environment]] |url=http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/recovery/m-melanotis/existing.html|access-date=18 November 2015}}</ref>