Lesueur-Nationalpark
The Lesueur National Park is a 2700 km ² national park on the west coast of the Australian state of Western Australia. Together with the Stirling Range and Fitzgerald River National Park, it is one of the most important protected areas for flora and fauna in the southwest of Australia. The park is located about 210 kilometers north of Perth and 100 km south of Geraldton (Australia).
History
In June 1801, sailed from the south, the French ship Naturaliste along the coasts. Passing Jurien Bay sighted one of two conspicuous mesas. One was named in honor of Charles -Alexandre Lesueur, an explorer, naturalist and botanist on board the Naturaliste, Mount Lesueur, the other Mount Peron.
The next record in which the mountain is mentioned, comes from Captain George Grey, who crossed the area with five others on the road. Your ship was sunk near Kalbarri.
By James Drummond in 1850 was the first botanist to the area to explore the world of plants and describe. In the following years, when the area was exploited for agriculture north of Perth, clutching one of the area around the Mount Lesueur, because it was unsuitable because of the rocky landscape and a variety of poisonous plants for livestock farming. The area has remained so untouched by human intervention.
The National Park was officially opened on 24 January 1992.
Geography
The ancient sedimentary rocks of the Lesueur - Cockleshell Gully was folded several times through a series of upheavals in the earth's history. For these folds numerous ditches and cracks have appeared, which are an important habitat for many animals and plants today. Mount Lesueur itself, an almost circular Table Mountain, is the relic of a long-lasting erosion of the surrounding Lateritebene. To the west of the park there are sand dunes, swamps and low limestone hills.
Flora and Fauna
The Mount Lesueur in sunbeds surround Lateritebene is mostly covered with scrub, also known by the Aborigines " kwongan ". The monotonous at first glance, only one meter high bush country is home to a greater diversity of species than any other vegetation type in Western Australia. In ten square meters you will find up to 80 species of plants, but only a few hundred meters further determines a different species community the image. Such diversity is comparable to that of tropical rain forests.
The diversity of species is not least due to the diversity of plant species. Approximately 200 of the 820 plant species are under special protection. Among them are very original species that have survived in microhabitats the last million years with numerous climatic changes. To thrive, for example, on the southern slopes of Mount Leseur, an area with moderate sunlight and moist sea air, Kingia australis, Hakea megalosperma and Conostylis androstemma.