This region is defined here as Australia, New Zealand, and their outlying islands. Both have Gondwanan ecosystems and unique flora and fauna. They have been subject to significant human influences particularly from fire, agriculture, deforestation, and introduced exotic plants and animals. The total land area is 8 million square kilometers, and the population is 22 million.
Tourism is a major and rapidly growing industry.
Australasia s climate is strongly influenced by the surrounding oceans. Unfortunately, climate models at present cannot provide reliable predictions for these features under climate change. Increases in the frequency of heavy rainfalls and average rainfall have been reported for large areas of Australia. Sea levels have risen on average by about 20 mm per decade over the past 50 years. Climate modeling and climate change scenarios for the region are relatively well developed.