This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: When we hear that climate change is damaging natural environments, it conjures images of rising seas eroding coastlines, or heat waves bleaching the Great Barrier Reef. In Australia's red heart, the World Heritage-listed Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park hosts a spectacular array of unique plants and animals, admired by visitors from around the world.
This week marks the 41st anniversary of the official handback of Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa to Aṉangu, its traditional custodians. As joint managers of Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa with Parks Australia, Aṉangu bring tens of thousands of years of accumulated knowledge to caring for these lands. But lately, the local plants—and the animals that depend on them—are dying.
Aṉangu Muṯitjulu Mala Ranger Natalie Ray explains, "When we go out to look around, we see the numbers going down. We don't know what's going on in other places in Australia or around the world, but we can see our plants and animals suffering." What is climate change doing to this special place? Between 2018 and 2021, the most severe drought on record unfolded at Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa.
While there are earlier records of very severe droughts—in the 1880s and mid-1950s to mid-60s—there is a key difference. Temperatures this century are much higher, bringing longer, hotter and more frequent heat waves than any other period in recorded human history. These hot droughts pose a serious risk to plants.
Following record-breaking heat waves in 2019–20, Aṉangu witnessed mass mortality of usually robust plants such as kurkaṟa or desert oak, Allocasuarina decaisneana, wanaṟi or mulga, Acacia aneura, and pukaṟa or desert heath myrtle, Aluta maisonneuvei. In 2020, Parks Australia and the Aṉangu community held a workshop to talk about climate change, and concerns were raised about the effects of hot droughts. Since then, Aṉangu have been working with scientists from Parks Australia, CSIRO and a range of universities to determine how climate change is affecting plants at Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa.
The Muṯitjulu Mala Rangers have been an important part of this partnership. As Anangu elder Malya Teamay from the Muṯitjulu community has said, "We're worrying about this a lot … we're here on Country and we can see that things are getting really bad." Using novel 360-degree imaging, scientists and Muṯitjulu Mala Rangers found that plant dieback—characterized by the death of leaves, shoots or roots—covered hundreds of square kilometers within Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park alone. Aṉangu and researchers co-designed and conducted a series of linked research projects to understand whether different plant species coped better than others.
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