The Bassian ecoregion is a

biogeographic Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time. Organisms and biological communities often vary in a regular fashion along geographic gradients of latitude, elevation, ...

region of Australia's coastal and continental shelf waters. It includes the cold-temperate waters surrounding Tasmania, including the central

Bass Strait Bass Strait () is a strait separating the island state of Tasmania from the Australian mainland (more specifically the coast of Victoria, with the exception of the land border across Boundary Islet). The strait provides the most direct wat ...

between

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

and the southern Australian mainland. This ecoregion, designated in the Marine Ecoregions of the World system by the

World Wildlife Fund The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the Wor ...

(WWF), includes both the Bass Strait Shelf and Tasmanian Shelf provincial level bioregions from the

Integrated Marine and Coastal Regionalisation of Australia The Integrated Marine and Coastal Regionalisation of Australia (IMCRA), formerly the Interim Marine and Coastal Regionalisation for Australia, is a biogeographic regionalisation of the oceanic waters of Australia's exclusive economic zone (EE ...

(IMCRA) system."A Guide to the Integrated Marine and Coastal Regionalisation of Australia Version 4.0". Department of Environment and Heritage, Government of Australia. June 2006. ISBN 0 642 552274.

Geography

The Bassian ecoregion extends around Tasmania, and across the central Bass Strait to the central coast of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

on the Australian mainland. On the southeast, south, and southwest it extends to the edge of the continental shelf. On the Victorian Coast it extends from east of

Cape Otway Cape Otway is a cape and a bounded locality of the Colac Otway Shire in southern Victoria, Australia on the Great Ocean Road; much of the area is enclosed in the Great Otway National Park. History Cape Otway was originally inhabited by the G ...

Waratah Bay The Waratah Bay is located in south Gippsland, Victoria. The bay is an arc of almost 20 kilometres of flat sandy beach framed by Cape Liptrap to the west and Wilsons Promontory in the east. Surrounding townships Waratah Bay is approximately s ...

. It excludes

King Island King Island, Kings Island or King's Island may refer to: Australia * King Island (Queensland) * King Island, at Wellington Point, Queensland * King Island (Tasmania) ** King Island Council, the local government area that contains the Tasmanian isl ...

and the western end of the Bass Strait, which belongs to the adjacent

Western Bassian The Western Bass Strait Shelf Transition is a biogeographic region of Australia's coastal and continental shelf waters. It is a transitional region between the cold-temperate Bass Strait Shelf and Tasmanian Shelf provinces and the warm-tempera ...

ecoregion, and to the east it excludes the

Furneaux Group The Furneaux Group is a group of approximately 100 islands located at the eastern end of Bass Strait, between Victoria and Tasmania, Australia. The islands were named after British navigator Tobias Furneaux, who sighted the eastern side of t ...

of islands and the eastern end of the Bass Strait, which belong to the adjacent

Cape Howe Cape Howe is a coastal headland in eastern Australia, forming the south-eastern end of the Black-Allan Line, a portion of the border between New South Wales and Victoria. History Cape Howe was named by Captain Cook James Cook (7 Nov ...

ecoregion. The Otway and Cape Howe ecoregions are transitions between the cold-temperate Bassian ecoregion and warm-temperate regions further to the northwest and northeast.

Ecology

The province is characterised by cold temperate species which also dwell in the adjacent transitions. It also is home to warm temperate species from the

Central Eastern Shelf Province The Central Eastern Shelf Province is a biogeographic region of Australia's coastal and continental shelf waters. It includes the warm temperate coastal waters of eastern Australia. It is a provincial level bioregion in the Integrated Marine and ...

and

Southwest Shelf Province The Southwest Shelf Province, also known as the Leeuwin marine ecoregion, is a biogeographic region of Australia's continental shelf. It includes the temperate coastal waters of Southwest Australia. Geography The Southwest Shelf Province includes ...

, and widespread southern temperate species. The bioregional endemics are a focus of national biodiversity conservation efforts.

References

{{reflist Biogeography of Victoria (Australia) Biogeography of Tasmania Ecoregions of Australia Temperate Australasia Coastline of Tasmania Coastline of Victoria (Australia)