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Biodiversity and Vegetation - Australia

Australia

Proportion of native vegetation remaining in Australia

At the continental scale, the real differences in patterns of clearing between major vegetation groups are not clear. This is partly because the largest proportion of Australia, the rangelands, remains relatively free of broad-scale clearing.

The key emerging picture at the Australia-wide scale is that the most affected vegetation groups, where approximately 50% of the pre-European extent now remains, are the low closed forests and closed shrublands and the heaths. These two major vegetation groups were already very restricted in their pre-European extent so that further clearing has a major impact on aerial extent.

Major vegetation groups where 60-80% of pre-European extent remains are:

• rainforest and vine thickets;
• eucalypt tall open forests;
• eucalypt open forests;
• eucalypt woodlands;
• eucalypt open woodlands; and
• mallee woodlands and shrublands.

Of these, rainforest and vine thickets and eucalypt tall open forests were very restricted in their pre-European extent.

Table: Area (km²) of pre-European major vegetation groups and major vegetation groups (circa 1997) in Australia

Major Vegetation Group	Pre-European Area (km2)	Circa 1997 Area (km2)	% remaining relative to pre-European area
Rainforest and vine thickets	43,493	30,232	70
Eucalyptus tall open forests	44,817	30,129	67
Eucalyptus open forest	340,968	240,484	71
Eucalyptus low open forest	15,066	12,923	86
Eucalyptus woodlands	1,012,047	693,449	69
Acacia forest and woodlands	657,582	560,649	85
Callitris forest and woodlands	30,963	27,725	90
Casuarina forest and woodlands	73,356	60,849	83
Melaleuca forest and woodlands	93,501	90,513	97
Other forests and woodlands	125,328	119,383	95
Eucalyptus open woodlands	513,943	384,310	75
Tropical Eucalyptus woodland/grasslands	256,434	254,228	99
Acacia open woodlands	117,993	114,755	97
Mallee woodlands and shrublands	383,399	250,420	65
Low closed forest and closed shrublands	15,864	8,749	55
Acacia shrublands	670,737	654,280	98
Other Shrublands	115,824	98,948	85
Heath	47,158	25,860	55
Tussock grasslands	589,212	528,998	90
Hummock grasslands	1,756,962	1,756,104	100
Other grasslands, herblands, sedgelands and rushlands	100,504	98,522	98
Chenopod shrub, samphire shrub and forblands	563,389	552,394	98
Mangroves, tidal mudflat, samphire and bare areas, claypan, sand, rock, salt lakes, lagoons, lakes	112,063	106,999	95

Bar graph: Area (km²) of pre-European and present major vegetation groups in Australia.

Methods

This analysis is based on a comparison of the present extent of major vegetation groups (circa 1997) and pre-European mapping.

Applications

Analysis at the Australia-wide, State and Territory and regional scales provides information on which to base broad assessments of change in extent and type of vegetation. This is a key input to assessing:

• the representativeness or otherwise of Australia's nature conservation estate and for related interpretations (e.g. setting priorities for retention of native vegetation types);
• opportunities for catchment rehabilitation, whether the issue is catchment hydrology or dryland salinity control;
• the types of vegetation suitable for rehabilitation, restoration and/or revegetation activities in an area; and
• priorities for protection of biodiversity in landscapes under stress.

Limitations

Pre-European vegetation and present native vegetation for many States and Territories do not match in mapping method or scale. Development of pre-European vegetation maps in cleared areas of Australia is usually dependent upon coarse or generalised data on landforms and soils sometimes at 1:250 000 or even 1:1 000 000 scale. Reconstructing the natural complexity of vegetation patterns from such broad interpretations is difficult. Earlier vegetation mapping for areas now cleared may similarly be coarse in scale and/or generalised, with little data from systematic field sampling to support the derivation of mapping units and the allocation of individual patches of native vegetation to mapping units.

Pre-European data is more reliable where:

• impacts of European land use is minimal;
• there is good physical and floristic information (e.g. in Victoria) which can be used for detailed interpolation; and
• the scale of the pre-European mapping and method is similar to that of the current extent mapping (e.g. in Queensland, Victoria, Northern Territory and Western Australia).

Data variability is greatest in New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and South Australia, where the pre-European data does not meet the requirements of the National Vegetation Information System. In Tasmania the pre-European data is not finalised. In these States it is assumed that the present vegetation mapped is an approximate representation of the pre-European vegetation. The Australia wide pre-European major vegetation groups data set is an interim product.

What major vegetation groups have been cleared since European settlement in Australia?

At a continental scale, approximately 13% of the total land has been cleared. This clearing has been concentrated, reflecting settlement patterns and areas most capable of supporting development. Clearing has occurred predominantly for human settlement and agriculture in the higher rainfall regions and where there are more fertile soils, generally excluding the arid interior and tropical far north.

The condition of the vegetation varies even if the broad native vegetation fabric is still intact, condition may still be declining (discussed separately in later sections on vegetation condition).

Eucalypt open forests: about 30% of pre-European extent cleared, accounting for 10% of total clearing

Eucalypt open forests were extensively cleared in the latter half of the 19th century for:

• timber production-export (e.g. jarrah) and the local market (e.g. blackbutt); and
• agriculture and grazing (cleared or ringbarked).

Continued loss of this group would have occurred if substantial areas had not been set aside in Crown reserves for timber production and later for nature conservation. The reservations for state forests are a good example of the foresight of resource managers at the time. Other examples are the various reservations of river foreshores, tidal waters and mangrove communities in many States and Territories as crown land administration systems developed.

Eucalypt woodlands and eucalypt open woodlands: approximately 31% and 25% of pre-European extent cleared, accounting for 32% and 13% of total clearing respectively

Eucalypt woodlands and eucalypt open woodlands are an important component of cereal cropping and pastoral zones. Cleared areas are very extensive, resulting in the loss of the broad fabric of the landscape from a vegetation perspective. Within the remnants, the shrubby understorey has often been removed mechanically, by frequent fire, or by the invasion of exotic species or overgrazing of native tussock grasses (annuals often replacing perennials). Eucalypt open woodlands areas mapped as native vegetation may be highly modified.

Inland acacia forests and woodlands: approximately 15% of pre-European extent cleared, accounting for 10% of total clearing

Agricultural and pastoral development have led to major changes in extent and condition of these landscapes, expecially in brigalow (Acacia harpophylla) and mulga (A. aneura) communities. Extensive areas of brigalow, that once extended from Collinsville in Queensland to Narrabri in New South Wales, have been cleared. Approximately 4 million hectares of this brigalow was cleared as part of government land development schemes (Webb 1984). Few substantial areas remain in the southern Brigalow Belt. The government also encouraged clearing of mulga country. The expansion of grazing across the mulga lands occurred from the 1850s to the 1890s.

Mallee woodlands and shrublands: approximately 35% of pre-European extent cleared, accounting for 14% of total clearing

Encouragement for clearing was provided by government in the temperate mallee woodlands areas. Clearing was encouraged for cereal cropping and pastoralism and was often a condition of leases.

Rainforest communities: most lowland occurrences cleared, approximately 30% of pre-European extent cleared, accounting for 1% of total clearing

The broad range of rainforest and vine thicket communities across Australia found within this major vegetation group masks the level of regional depletion of some rainforest and vine thicket types.

In the coastal lowlands, floodplains and more undulating sections of the coastal ranges of eastern Australia much of the rainforest communities have been cleared. These were among the earlier native vegetation communities to be exploited for timber (using coastal rivers to gain access and transport timber out for export). Notable examples of subtropical rainforests being cleared for timber, dairy or agriculture (e.g. sugar cane or tobacco) are:

• the Big Scrub in northern New South Wales, reduced from an estimated 75 000 ha to just 300 ha by 1900 (Floyd 1987) and the Illawarra Rainforests; the Hoop Pine scrubs of south-east Queensland (Young & McDonald 1987); and
• the tropical rainforests of the Atherton and Eungella Tablelands and coastal wet tropics floodplains of the Daintree, Barron, Johnstone, Tully - Murray, Herbert, Proserpine and Pioneer rivers.

In the Brigalow Belt of Queensland and north-western New South Wales, extensive areas of vine thickets, notably the softwood scrubs, were substantially cleared for agriculture or grazing as part of Brigalow land development.

Heath communities: approximately 45% of pre-European extent cleared, accounting for 2% of total clearing

Heaths have been heavily impacted by clearing for sand mining, agriculture, grazing or development mainly in southern coastal areas. Mallee communities, which occur in association with some heath communities, have similarly had extensive areas cleared, mainly for pastoral development in Victoria and South Australia.

Tussock grasslands: approximately 10% of pre-European extent cleared, accounting for 6% of total clearing

Many of the tussock grasslands (Mitchell grass) of eastern Australia have been either substantially cleared or heavily modified from grazing. The mapping of this type reflects where there is good information on native grasslands. There are known to be many other areas either not mapped or subject to change through grazing and introduced species such as buffel grass and other introduced pasture grasses. The Audit's rangelands report discusses pasture management and condition in further detail.

Table: Major vegetation groups cleared in Australia

Major Vegetation Group	Cleared Area (km2)	% cleared across Australia as total of clearing
Rainforest and vine thickets	13,261	1.3
Eucalyptus tall open forests	14,688	1.5
Eucalyptus open forest	100,484	10.2
Eucalyptus low open forest	2,143	.2
Eucalyptus woodlands	318,598	32.3
Acacia forest and woodlands	96,934	9.8
Callitris forest and woodlands	3,238	.3
Casuarina forest and woodlands	12,508	1.3
Melaleuca forest and woodlands	2,987	.3
Other forests and woodlands	5,945	.6
Eucalyptus open woodlands	129,633	13.1
Tropical Eucalyptus woodland/grasslands	2,206	.2
Acacia open woodlands	3,239	.3
Mallee woodlands and shrublands	133,122	13.5
Low closed forest and closed shrublands	7,115	.7
Acacia shrublands	21,306	2.2
Other Shrublands	16,875	1.7
Heath	21,298	2.2
Tussock grasslands	60,213	6.1
Hummock grasslands	859	.1
Other grasslands, herblands, sedgelands and rushlands	1,982	.2
Chenopod shrub, samphire shrub and forblands	10,995	1.1
Mangroves, tidal mudflat, samphire and bare areas, claypan, sand, rock, salt lakes, lagoons, lakes	5,065	.5

Note: The clearing referred to in table 2 does not include grazing, thinning or other activities. In particular, parts of the rangelands may be heavily disturbed.

Map: Cleared Major Vegetaion Groups in Australia

Source: Major vegetation groups V1.0 (1km), National Land and Water Resources Audit 2001. Data used are assumed to be correct from suppliers. © Commonwealth of Australia 2001 The summary maps provide information on Australia's native vegetation collated within the National Vegetation Information System (NVIS) at July 2001 and with additional mapped information. The NVIS will be updated as vegetation mapping becomes available. The map is a compilation of data collected at different scales by different organisations. Major Vegetation Groups were compiled by Environment Australia based on data collated by the Bureau of Rural Sciences and provided by Environment ACT, Department of Urban Services; NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service; NSW Royal Botanic Gardens; NSW State Forests; NT Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Environment; Queensland Herbarium, Environmental Protection Agency; SA Department for Environment and Heritage; Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment; Flora Section, Department of Natural Resources and Environment; Agriculture Western Australia; Western Australia Department of Conservation and Land Management and Geoscience Australia, National Mapping Division.

View a larger map of Cleared Major Vegetation Groups

Methods

This analysis is based on the present extent of native vegetation and data on the type and area of these groups cleared in Australia from the pre-European mapping. All summary findings are based on the data sets compiled for the National Vegetation Information System and development of the major vegetation groups.

Applications

This analysis at the Australia-wide, State and Territory and regional scales provides information on which to base assessment of change in land cover and type of vegetation, a key input to vegetation management activities. Loss of particular vegetation types across regions impacts on biodiversity values and landscape function and this analysis highlights those major vegetation groups.

At the regional scale, the National Vegetation Information System compilation provides an excellent basis for regional planning groups to understand the changes in vegetation extent that have occurred and set their regional priorities for vegetation management in the context of this information. The assessment of major vegetation groups across Australia provides a broader context.

Limitations

As detailed previously, issues of attributes, scale and currency of available mapping limits the precision of this analysis. The broad nature of the major vegetation groups masks the distinct vegetation types and regional clearing patterns that would emerge at a finer scale of analysis.

Which bioregions have lost most native vegetation?

The material below is an extract from the Australian Native Vegetation Assessment 2001 report. For ease of cross reference, figure, table and section references pertain to the chapter structure of this report.

Key findings

Australia has 85 designated bioregions (Environment Australia 2000). The extensive clearing of native vegetation has been concentrated in comparatively few regions. Five bioregions (some of the key agricultural zones of south-eastern and south-west Australia) (Table 13 and Figure 20) have less than 30% of native vegetation remaining:

• Victorian Midlands (Victoria);
• Victorian Volcanic Plains (Victoria and South Australia);
• Naracoorte Coastal Plain (Victoria and South Australia);
• Avon Wheatbelt (Western Australia); and
• South East Coastal Plain (Victoria).

Twenty-two bioregions have between 30% and 70% of native vegetation remaining:

• Kanmantoo;
• New South Wales South Western Slopes;
• Eyre Yorke Block;
• Nandewar;
• Swan Coastal Plain;
• New England Tableland;
• South Eastern Queensland;
• Brigalow Belt South;
• Tasmanian Northern Midlands;
• Geraldton Sandplains;
• Esperance Plains;
• Riverina;
• Brigalow Belt North;
• Mallee;
• Jarrah Forest;
• South Eastern Highlands;
• Murray Darling Depression;
• New South Wales North Coast;
• Tasmanian Northern Slopes;
• Darling Riverine Plains;
• Sydney Basin; and
• Central Mackay Coast.

Sand mining damage, Stradbroke Island, QLD
© Murray Fagg

Fifty-eight bioregions have greater than 70% of native vegetation remaining.

Detailed information on each major vegetation group cleared and the percentage of pre-European vegetation remaining for the five bioregions with less than 30% remaining native vegetation is presented in Table 14. This break-up is extremely valuable in assessing the status of each vegetation group within a region, in particular for regions where the total clearing may not be high but particular vegetation groups within the region are being targeted for clearing.

Table 13. Summary figures of clearing and remaining native vegetation for IBRA bioregions with less than 30% of native vegetation remaining.

	Victorian Midlands	Naracoorte Coastal Plain	South East Coastal Plain	Avon Wheatbelt	Victorian Volcanic Plain
Area cleared (ha)	2,704,748	1,948,364	1,339,960	8,132,108	1,998,844
Total area of bioregion (ha)	3,782,384	2,541,888	1,697,036	9,517,188	2,162,192
Percent cleared native vegetation	71.5	76.7	79.0	85.4	92.4
Percent remaining native vegetation	28.5	23.3	21.0	14.6	7.6

Figure 20. Percentage native vegetation by IBRA bioregion.

View Figure 20. Percentage native vegetation by IBRA bioregion.

Figure 21. Percentage native vegetation by IBRA subregion.

View Figure 21. Percentage native vegetation by IBRA subregion.

Table 14. Area (ha) of major vegetation groups and clearing for IBRA bioregions with <30% of native vegetation remaining.

Major vegetation groups
	Rainforest and vine thickets	Eucalypt tall open forests	Eucalypt open forests	Eucalypt low open forests	Eucalypt woodlands	Acacia forests and woodlands	Callitris forests and woodlands	Casuarina forests and woodlands	Melaleuca forests and woodlands	Other forests and woodlands	Eucalypt open woodlands	Mallee woodlands and shrublands	Low closed forests and closed shrublands	Acacia shrublands	Other shrublands	Heath	Tussock grasslands	Other grasslands, herbland, etc	Chenopod shrubs, samphires, etc	Mangrove group
Naracoorte Coastal Plain
present vegetation	-	12	46,652	1,308	146,048	36	-	328	4,552	104	5,092	161,060	16,644	12,724	76,764	45,388	7,760	26,068	19,496	23,488
cleared vegetation	-	0	229,888	40	528,040	0	-	0	9,320	1,712	49,424	521,712	10,740	243,268	52,192	444	242,620	7,552	41,160	8,692
pre-European veg.	-	12	276,540	1,348	674,088	36	-	328	13,872	1,816	54,516	682,772	27,384	255,992	128,956	45,832	250,380	33,620	60,656	32,180
percent remaining	-	100	16.87	97.03	21.67	100	-	100	32.81	5.73	9.34	23.59	60.78	4.97	59.53	99.03	3.10	77.54	32.14	72.99
Victorian Volcanic Plain
present vegetation	-	656	34,392	40	49,616	180	-	-	4	708	1,020	1,932	4,484	0	852	36	4,512	872	9,320	54,724
cleared vegetation	-	12,740	31,368	112	759,796	1,316	-	-	72	11,260	266,260	964	34,808	16	63,208	52	770,592	44,988	920	364
pre-European veg.	-	13,396	65,760	152	809,412	1,496	-	-	76	11,968	267,280	2,896	39,292	16	64,060	88	775,104	45,860	10,240	55,088
percent remaining	-	4.90	52.30	26.32	6.13	12.03	-	-	5.26	5.92	0.38	66.71	11.41	0	1.33	40.91	0.58	1.90	91.02	99.34
South East Coastal Plain
present vegetation	8	14,864	109,444	928	65,112	1,008	-	-	548	35,464	1,056	-	19,736	928	9,336	9,248	1,028	22,156	37,200	29,012
cleared vegetation	120	46,164	328,952	316	635,084	17,880	-	-	4,004	14,476	3,292	-	147,780	2,004	11,920	2,356	48,040	51,460	2,396	480
pre-European veg.	128	61,028	438,396	1,244	700,196	18,888	-	-	4,552	49,940	4,348	-	167,516	2,932	21,256	11,604	49,068	73,616	39,596	29,492
percent remaining	6.25	24.36	24.96	74.60	9.30	5.34	-	-	12.04	71.01	24.29	-	11.78	31.65	43.92	79.70	2.10	30.10	93.95	98.37
Avon Wheatbelt
present vegetation	-	4	720	-	525,408	4	-	6,836	532	952	36,588	87,024	52,176	271,356	216,184	31,916	-	-	103,800	51,580
cleared vegetation	-	36	1,696	-	92	152	-	17,668	2,012	4,532	4,824,552	813,108	339,224	488,420	848,204	387,540	-	-	235,996	168,876
pre-European veg.	-	40	2,416	-	525,500	156	-	24,504	2,544	5,484	4,861,140	900,132	391,400	759,776	1,064,388	419,456	-	-	339,796	220,456
Percent remaining	-	10.00	29.80	-	99.98	2.56	-	27.90	20.91	17.36	0.75	9.67	13.33	35.72	20.31	7.61	-	-	30.55	23.40
Victorian Midlands
present vegetation	-	69,756	122,372	9,912	691,112	1,420	724	-	-	300	33,892	28,056	8,180	-	23,972	14,132	1,648	17,348	19,712	35,100
cleared vegetation	-	90,048	83,044	9,520	1,836,544	7,188	2,000	-	-	3,072	552,060	23,432	5,888	-	9,168	440	68,144	14,128	8	64
pre-European veg.	-	159,804	205,416	19,432	2,527,656	8,608	2,724	-	-	3,372	585,952	51,488	14,068	-	33,140	14,572	69,792	31,476	19,720	35,164
percent remaining	-	43.65	59.57	51.01	27.34	16.50	26.58	-	-	8.90	5.78	54.49	58.15	-	72.34	96.98	2.36	55.12	99.96	99.82

Download this table (MS Word 85 KB)

Table 15. Area (ha) of major vegetation groups and clearing for the Tasmanian Northern Slopes IBRA bioregion with 64% of native vegetation remaining.

Major vegetation groups
	Rainforest and vine thickets	Eucalypt tall open forests	Eucalypt open forests	Eucalypt low open forests	Eucalypt woodlands	Acacia forests and woodlands	Other forests and woodlands	Eucalypt open woodlands	Low closed forests and closed shrublands	Other shrublands	Heath	Tussock grasslands	Other grasslands, herbland, etc	Mangrove group
present vegetation	47,824	76,884	250,376	-	5,636	124	168	104	3,564	496	420	344	4,448	6,228
cleared vegetation	6,572	98,392	27,460	332	48,060	6,880	-	-	39,112	-	-	-	-	-
pre-European vegetation	54,396	175,276	277,836	332	53,696	7,004	168	104	42,676	496	420	344	4,448	6,228
percent remaining	88	44	90	-	10	2	100	100	8	100	100	100	100	100

- Indicates that this major vegetation group does not exist in a particular jurisdiction or that the scale and type of mapping compiled has not captured this major vegetation group.

Download this table (MS Word 44 KB)

An example of a bioregion with a much higher total percentage of native vegetation remaining is the Tasmanian Northern Slopes bioregion with 64% of native vegetation remaining. Information on remaining native vegetation extent, clearing and percentage relative to pre-European extent is presented in Table 15. Within this bioregion a number of major vegetation groups have either been cleared or have less than 30% of their pre-European extent remaining. They include eucalypt low open forests, eucalypt woodlands, acacia forests and woodlands and low closed forests and closed shrublands.

Many bioregions cover very large areas. It is useful to analyse the data to assess clearing levels in absolute terms (e.g. from Table 16, in 25 of the 85 bioregions native vegetation clearing exceeds 1 million hectares; these bioregions contain 91 million hectares of cleared land-92% of the total area of native vegetation cleared area in Australia; these bioregions occur across south-western Western Australia, southern South Australia, most of Victoria and New South Wales and central and southern Queensland).

Dust storm, ploughed mallee, Mildura-Renmark Road, VIC © Murray Fagg

Only an additional three bioregions have 800,000 - 1,000,000 ha of clearing. These are the Desert Uplands bioregion in Queensland, the Cobar Peneplain in New South Wales and the Swan Coastal Plain bioregion in Western Australia. The remaining 14 bioregions have 100 000 - 800,000 ha of native vegetation removed.

Table 16. Bioregions with greater than 800,000 ha of native vegetation cleared.

IBRA bioregion	Cleared native vegetation (ha)	Total area of region (ha)	Percent cleared native vegetation	Percent remaining native vegetation
Desert Uplands	811,564	7,032,020	11.5	88.5
Cobar Peneplain	820,516	7,350,240	11.2	88.8
Swan Coastal Plain	915,752	1,512,400	60.5	39.5
Sydney Basin	1,142,868	3,632,932	31.5	68.5
Mitchell Grass Downs	1,167,240	33,513,668	3.5	96.5
Flinders Lofty Block	1,300,556	7,126,092	18.3	81.7
South East Coastal Plain	1,339,960	1,697,036	79.0	21.0
Esperance Plains	1,402,020	2,906,644	48.2	51.8
Nandewar	1,748,584	2,698,724	64.8	35.2
New England Tableland	1,774,852	3,004,080	59.1	40.9
Geraldton Sandplains	1,921,976	3,966,988	48.4	51.6
Naracoorte Coastal Plain	1,948,364	2,541,888	76.7	23.3
Jarrah forest	1,959,380	4,507,968	43.5	56.5
Victorian Volcanic Plain	1,998,844	2,162,192	92.4	7.6
New South Wales North Coast	2,220,440	5,925,384	37.5	62.5
Victorian Midlands	2,704,748	3,782,384	71.5	28.5
Mulga Lands	3,307,320	25,299,496	13.1	86.9
South Eastern Queensland	3,376,096	5,943,728	56.8	43.2
Mallee	3,389,464	7,394,820	45.8	54.2
Darling Riverine Plains	3,428,472	10,652,152	32.2	67.8
South Eastern Highlands	3,697,800	8,743,444	42.3	57.7
Eyre Yorke Block	3,954,300	6,078,720	65.1	34.9
Riverina	4,580,904	9,589,472	47.8	52.2
New South Wales South Western Slopes	5,715,272	8,673,896	65.9	34.1
Brigalow Belt North	6,430,308	13,552,556	47.4	52.6
Murray Darling Depression	7,450,212	19,749,136	37.7	62.3
Avon Wheatbelt	8,132,108	9,517,188	85.4	14.6
Brigalow Belt South	14,948,992	26,926,740	55.5	44.5

Bioregions contain distinctive geomorphic units that closely align with land capability and development potential, termed subregions. The subregions mentioned previously developed as part of the Audit's Landscape Health initiative (NLWRA 2001c) provide a scale of analysis more appropriate to regional vegetation management planning.

• Of 22 bioregions with 30-70% of native vegetation remaining, 27 of a total of 130 subregions within these bioregions have less than 30% of native vegetation remaining; 33 subregions have greater than 70% of native vegetation remaining (Figures 20, 21)
• Of 28 bioregions with greater than 800,000 ha of native vegetation cleared since European settlement, 39 of a total 174 subregions within these bioregions have less than 30% native vegetation remaining; 61 subregions have greater than 70% of native vegetation remaining

This information with detailed vegetation types within bioregions and subregions is available on the Australian Natural Resources Atlas and provides the level of detail likely to be of value to regional groups as they plan for vegetation management and biodiversity conservation.

Applications

At the bioregion scale, the analysis provides an overview of the status of bioregions in terms of their native vegetation cover (a broad surrogate for biodiversity condition). At the subregion scale, the analysis provides information relevant to vegetation management planning, identifying key land types where management activities such as rehabilitation and protection for biodiversity conservation may be a priority.

Limitations

Bioregions cover large areas and are often bisected by administrative boundaries (e.g. local and State/Territory government boundaries or State/Territory land administration boundaries). Patterns of vegetation clearing are often influenced by these management factors. Therefore, the bioregion analysis is limited as an absolute indicator of bioregion condition.

The analysis is also limited by the quality of the present vegetation information compiled into the National Vegetation Information System and in development of the major vegetation groups. The limitations and guidelines provide information on the present vegetation products. In particular, recent clearing in some areas of Tasmania, New South Wales and Queensland are not mapped.

What sources of information were used?

View the guidelines for the interpretation of vegetation mapping products.

References

View the references used in the Australian Native Vegetation Assessment 2001.

Partnerships

Australian Native Vegetation Assessment 2001 was facilitated and coordinated by the National Land and Water Resources Audit and prepared in partnership with State, Territory and Commonwealth agencies:

Australian Capital Territory

Department of Urban Services
www.urbanservices.act.gov.au

New South Wales

www.dlwc.nsw.gov.au

NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
www.npws.nsw.gov.au

NSW Botanic Gardens
www.rbgsyd.gov.au

Northern Territory

Department of Natural Resources, Environment and The Arts
www.nreta.nt.gov.au

Queensland

Environment Protection Agency
www.epa.qld.gov.au

South Australia

Planning SA
www.planning.sa.gov.au

Tasmania

Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment
www.dpiwe.tas.gov.au

Victoria

Department of Sustainability and Environment
www.dse.vic.gov.au

Western Australia

www.calm.wa.gov.au

Agriculture WA
www.agric.wa.gov.au

Commonwealth

www.daff.gov.au

Australian Greenhouse Office
www.greenhouse.gov.au

Department of Environment and Heritage
www.deh.gov.au

Further information

View the Australian Native Vegetation Assessment 2001 report.

The National Vegetation Information System Framework framework.

View Landscape Health in Australia 2001 report.

View the Australian Catchment, River and Estuary Assessment 2002.

View the Australian Terrestrial Biodiversity Assessment 2002.

View all Theme Reports from the National Land and Water Resources Audit.

Link to Atlas on-line mapping for maps of major vegetation groups and other natural resource data.

Link to data available for down load.

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