Australian Natural Resources Atlas

Natural Resource Topics

Biodiversity and Vegetation - Nsw South Western Slopes

Nsw South Western Slopes

Location Map

The New South Wales South Western Slopes Bioregion covers an area of approximately 8,674,100 Hectares immediately west of the Great Dividing Range from central NSW near Dubbo, south, just past the NSW Victorian border. It consists of only two subregions*, Northern Inland Slopes subregion (NSS1) and Lower Slopes subregion (NSS2).

NSS1: Northern Inland Slopes subregion consists of Ordovician to Devonian folded and faulted sedimentary sequences with inter-bedded volcanic rocks and large areas of intrusive granites. Landforms are composed of steep, hilly and undulating ranges and granite basins. Occasional basalt caps and confined river valleys with terrace remnants also occur. Shallow stony soils occur on steep slopes, texture contrast soils grading from red subsoils are present on upper slopes to yellow subsoils on lower slopes. Alluvial sands, loams and clays also occur. Open forests and woodlands occur. Red stringybark is present on upper slopes with black cypress pine, kurrajong, red ironbark, white gum, white box, yellow box and Blakely's red gum on lower slopes, merging west to yellow box, grey box and white cypress pine. Rough-barked apple on flats with river oak occurs on upper tributaries and river red gum occurs on lower and larger streams.

NSS2: Lower Slopes subregion is similar to the Upper Slopes subregion, consisting of Ordovician to Devonian folded and faulted sedimentary sequences with inter-bedded volcanic rocks and large areas of intrusive granites. It also contains larger areas of Tertiary and Quaternary alluvium. Characteristic landforms of the subregion are undulating and hilly ranges and isolated peaks set in wide valleys at the apices of the Riverina alluvial fans. Soils are similar to those of the Upper Slopes with shallow stony soils on steep slopes, and red and yellow subsoils with alluvial sands, loams and clays also occurring. This subregion has more extensive red-brown earths on undulating plains and more extensive grey clays on alluvium. Dwyer's gum occur on granite, with red ironbark on sedimentary rocks and Hill red gum, white cypress pine and red stringybark in the ranges. Grey box woodlands occur with yellow box, white cypress pine and belah on lower areas. Poplar box, kurrajong, wilga and red box are present in the north, with limited areas of bull mallee, blue mallee, green mallee and congoo mallee in the central west. Myall, rosewood and yarran occur on grey clays, with yellow box, polar box, and belah on alluvial loams. River red gum occurs on all streams with black box in the west with some lignum and river cooba.

(* Subregional boundaries in NSW are an interim product in draft format for use exclusively in the Audit terrestrial biodiversity assessment.)

What major vegetation groups occurred in prior to European settlement?

Map: Pre-European Major Vegetation Groups in


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.

Map: Extent of the National Vegetation Information System data

Extent of the National Vegetation Information System data

What was the area of major vegetation groups in prior to European settlement?

Table 1: Area of vegetation groups in prior to European settlement
Major Vegetation Group Area (ha) % total extent
Eucalyptus tall open forests 124 0
Eucalyptus open forest 962,216 11.1
Eucalyptus woodlands 5,200,724 60
Acacia forest and woodlands 45,092 .5
Callitris forest and woodlands 137,204 1.6
Casuarina forest and woodlands 14,284 .2
Eucalyptus open woodlands 495,656 5.7
Mallee woodlands and shrublands 31,168 .4
Low closed forest and closed shrublands 1,516 0
Other Shrublands 2,524 0
Heath 1,760 0
Tussock grasslands 237,028 2.7
Other grasslands, herblands, sedgelands and rushlands 1,458,192 16.8
Chenopod shrub, samphire shrub and forblands 17,276 .2
Mangroves, tidal mudflat, samphire and bare areas, claypan, sand, rock, salt lakes, lagoons, lakes 68,680 .8

What major vegetation groups occur in (circa 1997)?

Map: Dynamic Map of major vegetation groups (circa 1997) 1km


legend

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.

Map: Extent of the National Vegetation Information System data

Extent of the National Vegetation Information System data

What is the area of major vegetation groups in (circa 1997)?

Table 2: Area of present vegetation groups in (circa 1997)
Major Vegetation Group Area (ha) % total extent
Cleared / modified native vegetation 5,715,272 65.9
Eucalyptus tall open forests 120 0
Eucalyptus open forest 199,268 2.3
Eucalyptus woodlands 427,880 4.9
Acacia forest and woodlands 1,312 0
Callitris forest and woodlands 130,036 1.5
Casuarina forest and woodlands 14,284 .2
Eucalyptus open woodlands 380,988 4.4
Mallee woodlands and shrublands 21,512 .2
Low closed forest and closed shrublands 1,516 0
Other Shrublands 1,636 0
Heath 1,760 0
Tussock grasslands 234,164 2.7
Other grasslands, herblands, sedgelands and rushlands 1,458,192 16.8
Chenopod shrub, samphire shrub and forblands 17,276 .2
Mangroves, tidal mudflat, samphire and bare areas, claypan, sand, rock, salt lakes, lagoons, lakes 68,680 .8

What is the extent of native vegetation in (circa 1997)?

Map: Dynamic Map of extent of native vegetation 1km by bioregion


Area of native vegetation remaining (ha): 2,958,624 ha

Percent remaining native vegetation: 34.1%

Percent cleared/modified native vegetation: 65.9%

What sources of information were used?

View the sources of information used to compile an Australian-wide map of pre-European and present native vegetation from the National Vegetation Information System and additional mapped data and the guidelines for the interpretation of vegetation mapping products.

Knowledge, data and information gaps

The compilation of native vegetation information has highlighted a number of gaps in our knowledge, the data and information about Australia's native vegetation.

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

Department of Land and Water Conservation
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.nt.gov.au/nreta

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

Department of Conservation and Land Management
www.calm.wa.gov.au

Agriculture WA
www.agric.wa.gov.au

Commonwealth

Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry - Australia
www.daff.gov.au

Australian Greenhouse Office
www.greenhouse.gov.au

Australian Department of Environment and Heritage
www.environment.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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