Montane grasslands, or grassy balds, are enigmatic features of mountains worldwide. Their origins are often obscure. Pollen, phytolith and charcoal analysis of Dandabah Swamp in the Bunya Mountains in southeastern Queensland, Australia suggest that there, grassy balds comprise a relict vegetation maintained in the face of postglacial tree invasion by fire. The balds are not the product of edaphic phenomena or natural or anthropogenic cataclysms and will require intensive management efforts to be conserved in a world of increased woodiness, rising atmospheric CO2 and changing climate.
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