Editing Simpson Desert (section)

==Ecology==
[[File:Simpson, émeu.jpg|thumb|left|[[Emu]]s in Simpson Desert]]
[[File:Emu bush.jpg|thumb|left|[[Emu bush]] growing in the desert]]
[[Image:IBRA 6.1 Channel Country.png|thumb|right|The [[Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia|IBRA]] regions, with the Channel Country in red]]
[[Image:IBRA 6.1 Simpson Strzelecki Dunefields.png|thumb|right|The [[Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia|IBRA]] regions, with the Simpson-Strzelecki Dunefields in red]]

The Simpson Desert is also a large part of the [[World Wildlife Fund]] [[ecoregion]] of the same name,<ref>{{WWF ecoregion|id=aa1308|name=Simpson desert}}</ref> which consists of the [[Channel Country]] and the [[Simpson Strzelecki Dunefields]] [[bioregion]]s of the [[Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia]] (IBRA).<ref name="IBRA 5.1">{{cite report | author = Environment Australia | title = Revision of the Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) and Development of Version 5.1 - Summary Report | publisher = [[Department of the Environment and Water Resources]], [[Government of Australia|Australian Government]] | url = http://www.deh.gov.au/parks/nrs/ibra/version5-1/summary-report/index.html | access-date = 31 January 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060905215218/http://www.deh.gov.au/parks/nrs/ibra/version5-1/summary-report/index.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 5 September 2006 | author-link = Environment Australia}}</ref><ref name="IBRA 6.1">[http://www.deh.gov.au/parks/nrs/ibra/version6-1/index.html IBRA Version 6.1] data</ref>

The flora of the Simpson Desert ecoregion is limited to drought-resistant shrubs and grasses, especially ''[[Zygochloa paradoxa]]'' grass that holds the dunes together and the [[Triodia (plant genus)|spinifex]] and other tough grasses of side slopes and sandy desert floor between the dunes. The Channel Country section of the ecoregion lies to the northeast of the desert proper around the towns of Bedourie and Windorah in Queensland, and consists of low hills covered with [[Astrebla|Mitchell grass]] cut through with rivers lined with [[Eucalyptus coolabah|coolabah]] trees. The ecoregion also includes areas of rocky upland and seasonally wet clay and salt pans, particularly Lake Eyre, the centre of one of the largest inland drainage systems in the world, including the Georgina and Diamantina Rivers.

Wildlife adapted to this hot, dry environment and seasonal flooding includes the [[water-holding frog]] (''Litoria platycephala'') and a number of reptiles that inhabit the desert grasses such as the [[perentie]]. Endemic mammals of the desert include the [[red kangaroo]], [[dingo]], [[short-beaked echidna|echidna]] and [[kowari]] (''Dasycercus byrnei''), while birds include the [[grey grasswren]] (''Amytornis barbatus'') and [[Eyrean grasswren]] (''Amytornis goyderi'').<ref>{{cite book |title=The Simpson Desert:Natural History and Human Endeavour |last=Shephard |first=Mark |year=1999 |publisher=Corkwood Press |location=North Adelaide SA|isbn=1-876247-07-X }}</ref> Lake Eyre and the other seasonal wetlands are important habitats for fish and birds, especially as a breeding ground for waterbirds, while the rivers are home to birds, bats, and frogs. The seasonal wetlands of the ecoregion include Lake Eyre and the [[Coongie Lakes]], as well as the swamps that emerge when [[Cooper Creek]], [[Strzelecki Creek]], and the Diamantina River are in flood. The birds that use these wetlands include the [[freckled duck]] (''Stictonetta naevosa''), [[musk duck]] (''Biziura lobata''), [[silver gull]] (''Larus novaehollandiae''), [[Australian pelican]] (''Pelecanus conspicillatus''), [[great egret]] (''Ardea alba''), [[glossy ibis]] (''Plegadis falcinellus''), and [[banded stilt]] (''Cladorhynchus leucocephalus''). Also, the mound springs of the Great Artesian Basin are important habitat for a number of plants, fish, snails, and other invertebrates.

Native vegetation is largely intact as the desert is uninhabitable,  so habitats are not threatened by agriculture, but are damaged by introduced species, particularly rabbits and [[Australian feral camel|feral camels]]. The only human activity in the desert proper has been the construction of the gas pipelines, while the country on its fringes has been used for cattle grazing and contains towns such as [[Innamincka, South Australia|Innamincka]]. Mound springs and other waterholes are vulnerable to overuse and damage. Protected areas of the ecoregion include the [[Simpson Desert National Park|Simpson Desert]], [[Goneaway National Park|Goneaway]], [[Lochern National Park|Lochern]], [[Bladensburg National Park|Bladensburg]], [[Witjira National Park|Witjira]] and [[Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre National Park]]s as well as the [[Innamincka Regional Reserve]], and the [[Munga-Thirri–Simpson Desert National Park]].

[[Ethabuka Reserve]] is a nature reserve in the north of the desert owned and managed by [[Bush Heritage Australia]].<ref name=Ethabuka>[http://www.bushheritage.org.au/places-we-protect/state_queensland/reserves_ethabuka Ethabuka Reserve]. Bush Heritage Australia.  Retrieved 12 February 2013.</ref>