Evolutionary refugia are landscapes within which the biota persisted through past (e.g. late Quaternary) climate changes. Identification of these is a priority for conservation planning under impending climate change.

We propose a study that demonstrates how the combination of high-resolution spatial analysis of environments with population genomics can provide robust methods to identify such refugia. Our focus is on northern Australian bioregions, especially the Mt Isa Inlier (MII) and Gulf Fall Uplands (GFU), and including adjacent plains and uplands, including the focus here - the Einasleigh Uplands (EIU) of Nth Qld. The "Selwyn Ranges" (MII) were identified as a potential arid zone refugium by Morton et al., yet the biota here is poorly known.

The MII and GFU are identified as area highly vulnerable to projected climate change (Dunlop et al. 2012, CSIRO) and are generally underrepresented in the National Reserve System. Understanding the spatial dynamics of the biota here under past climate change will therefore inform strategies for protecting these systems under future change.