Biodiversity and Vegetation - Victoria

What major vegetation groups occurred in prior to European settlement?
What was the area of major vegetation groups in prior to European settlement?
Methods
Applications
Limitations
What major vegetation groups occur in (circa 1997)?
What is the area of major vegetation groups in (circa 1997)?
Methods
Applications
Limitations
What is the extent of native vegetation in ?
Methods
Limitations
Link to native vegetation information for 's bioregions
Knowledge, data and information gaps
References
Partnerships
Further information

Victoria

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.

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

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 (km²)	% total extent
Rainforest and vine thickets	445	.2
Eucalyptus tall open forests	20,973	9.2
Eucalyptus open forest	23,099	10.2
Eucalyptus low open forest	357	.2
Eucalyptus woodlands	78,302	34.5
Acacia forest and woodlands	825	.4
Callitris forest and woodlands	584	.3
Casuarina forest and woodlands	46	0
Melaleuca forest and woodlands	182	.1
Other forests and woodlands	2,583	1.1
Eucalyptus open woodlands	23,936	10.5
Mallee woodlands and shrublands	37,861	16.7
Low closed forest and closed shrublands	2,957	1.3
Acacia shrublands	39	0
Other Shrublands	5,829	2.6
Heath	1,859	.8
Tussock grasslands	19,175	8.4
Other grasslands, herblands, sedgelands and rushlands	2,397	1.1
Chenopod shrub, samphire shrub and forblands	3,103	1.4
Mangroves, tidal mudflat, samphire and bare areas, claypan, sand, rock, salt lakes, lagoons, lakes	2,397	1.1

Methods

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. The Further Information section provides links to the full graphics version of the material below and the Australian Native Vegetation Assessment 2001 report.

Pre-European vegetation of Australia has been reconstructed using a variety of interpolation and modeling techniques from mapping and information on the present types and extent, historical records and early aerial photographs. It is assumed that Australia had experienced no significant clearing other than changes due to fire regimes prior to European settlement.

The underlying data used to describe the pre-European vegetation is in many cases the same as that representing the present vegetation. Some States and Territories have assumed that vegetation types mapped as pre-European vegetation also approximate the present vegetation.

This presents varying problems in interpreting changes in vegetation. There are very few areas in Australia that have not undergone some modification in species or structure following European settlement (e.g. changes in fire regime). Australian scientists are still developing systems and techniques to assess the condition and changes to condition of native vegetation.

In all states, adding the present vegetation data from the National Vegetation Information System to the available pre-European mapping provided the source for the pre-European major vegetation groups. In South Australia, New South Wales and Tasmania the pre-European vegetation is presented as an interim product to be used at broad State and national scales. In Tasmania the pre-European data set was derived from modelling techniques and is yet to be finalised.

The major vegetation groups that are mapped, represent the dominant vegetation occurring in a particular area.

Applications

The inferred pre-European vegetation mapping can provide:

a broad baseline to document change in the extent and type of native vegetation;
information to assist in understanding the landscape for management and conservation of biodiversity;
an understanding of native vegetation cover which, coupled with details on Australia's soils, topography and climate variability assists construction of a modelled; assessment of natural soil erosion. This then allows us to understand changes in soil erosion patterns that have accompanied land use and are now impacting on the condition of our rivers, estuaries and near shore zones (NLWRA in prep.);
species and vegetation community information to assist in regional revegetation activities; and
information to assist in understanding changes in water balance, the key driver of dryland salinity (NLWRA 2001a) and changes in catchment surface water hydrology (NLWRA 2001b).

Limitations

The variety of methods used to map pre-European vegetation, the scale of some of the data and the difficulty of mapping in fragmented landscapes has resulted in an Australia-wide map which presents a combination of very broad and detailed mapping.

Queensland, Western Australia, Victoria and the Northern Territory National Vegetation Information System data have the greatest reliability. The New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmanian data are interim products and provide a broad scale view of Australia's pre-European vegetation.

The Guidelines section of this report provides guidelines on the use of the information and Appendix 8 presents information on the sources of data that have been collated into the National Vegetation Information System to represent Australia's pre-European vegetation including the extent, scale and date of collection.

Figures 6 and 7 provide information on the location and extent of data sets, their scale and level of classification used to develop the major vegetation groups.

What major vegetation groups occur in (circa 1997)?

Victoria is the smallest mainland State, but a land of great contrast in vegetation types. Vegetation includes:

extensive eucalypt tall open forests with trees rising to 90 m high in the southern ranges and plateaus;
extensive coastal heaths and wetlands;
alpine herbfields and bogs covered by winter snows;
eucalypt open woodlands in the hot and dry plains; and
mallee eucalypt woodlands and shrublands in the arid environments of the north west of the State.

Bioregions in Victoria

Murray Darling Depression

This bioregion extends into South Australia and New South Wales and has a low elevation with undulating sand plains and dune fields.

Dominated by mallee woodlands and shrublands, low closed forests and closed shrublands, heath, callitris communities, chenopod shrublands, samphires and lakes.
The Murray River running along the northern border has callitris, eucalypt woodlands and other forests and woodland communities.

Much of this region has been cleared for cropping (cereals and legumes) and grazing and irrigated agriculture (vine fruits) along the Murray and Wimmera Rivers. Major land uses are dryland cropping, nature conservation (Murray-Sunset and Little Desert National Parks, Big Desert Wilderness Park), grazing of native and modified pastures and some native forests and irrigated cropping.

Naracoorte Coastal Plain

This bioregion extends into South Australia and is flat and low lying with a temperate, warm and dry summer climate.

Dominated by mallee woodlands and shrublands, eucalypt open forests, low closed forests and closed shrublands and eucalypt woodlands.
Small areas of grasslands, heath and chenopod and samphire shrublands occur throughout.
Coastal communities include melaleuca forests and woodlands, heath, chenopod and samphire shrublands.

Much of the sandy soil has been cleared for agriculture and plantations and a number of wetlands have been drained in the region. Major land uses are grazing of native and modified pastures, native and plantation forestry and nature conservation.

Victorian Midlands

This bioregion stretches east to west across central Victoria and has warm summers with summer and winter rainfall. The region has been largely cleared (72%).

Dominated by eucalypt woodlands, eucalypt open forests and mallee woodlands and shrublands.
The largest area of native vegetation is in the Grampions National Park including large areas of eucalypt woodlands, heath, eucalypt open woodlands, low closed forests and closed shrublands and chenopod and samphire shrublands.

Major land uses are grazing of native and modified pastures, some cropping (large areas of cereals, legumes and oilseeds), native and plantation forestry and nature conservation.

Victorian Volcanic Plain

This bioregion has a small outlier in South Australia. The region is characterised by flat to undulating plains with a temperate climate (warm and dry summers) which have been largely cleared (92%) for sheep and cattle grazing and cropping.

The largest patch of vegetation, eucalypt open forests, occurs in state forests.
Eucalypt woodlands occur throughout the region with other small areas of vegetation including mallee woodlands and shrublands, low closed forests and closed shrublands, chenopod and samphire shrublands and lakes.
Pre-European vegetation was dominated by large areas of eucalypt woodland and open woodland and tussock grasslands.

Major land uses are grazing of native and modified pastures, some nature conservation and cropping.

South East Coastal Plain

This bioregion stretches along the southern coast from Portland to Lakes Entrance in the east with coastal plains and hinterland. Much of the region has been cleared (79%) for urban development, sheep and cattle grazing with a major focus on the dairy industry in the west.

The western part of the region along the Great Ocean Road is dominated by eucalypt open forests, eucalypt woodland, small areas of eucalypt tall open forests, low closed forests and closed shrublands.
On the coast acacia shrublands, chenopod and samphire shrublands and heath communities are present.
On the eastern Gippsland coastal plains the vegetation is dominated by eucalypt open forests, casuarina forests and woodlands, eucalypt woodlands, chenopod and samphire shrublands and coastal occurrences of low closed forests and closed shrublands, heath, eucalypt woodland, grasslands and sedgelands and mangrove communities.

Major land uses are grazing of native and modified pastures, urban and intensive developments, native and plantation forestry, nature conservation, irrigated modified pastures and some horticulture.

Flinders

This bioregion is completely contained within the Wilsons Promontory National Park with a landscape of rugged hills, lowlands and headlands.

Covered by native vegetation dominated by eucalypt tall open forests, rainforests, other forests and woodlands, eucalypt open forests and heaths.

South East Corner

This bioregion extends into New South Wales and contains coastal plains, river valleys, foothills, tablelands and mountains with some areas cleared in the river valleys, coastal plains and tablelands. It has mild to warm summers with summer and winter rainfall.

Dominated by large areas of eucalypt tall open forests, eucalypt open forests and eucalypt woodlands.
Small pockets of rainforest, acacia forests and woodlands, and heath are present with coastal occurrences of a range of forests and woodland communities.

Major land uses are native forestry and nature conservation (Bowen and Snowy River Wilderness Zones) and some plantations, and grazing of native and modified pastures.

South East Highlands

This bioregion extends into New South Wales and is characterised by the mountain ranges and foothills of the Great Dividing Range and the Otway Ranges. The region is sparsely settled with some areas cleared for agriculture and settlement.

Extensive areas of eucalypt tall open forests, eucalypt open forests, eucalypt woodland and rainforests.
Small pockets of grasslands and sedgelands, heath, samphire shrublands and acacia forests and woodlands occur.

The most cleared region is larger river valleys of the Strezeleki Ranges in the south. Major land uses are native forestry, nature conservation (Otway and Yarra Ranges National Parks and Avon Wilderness Park), grazing of native and modified pastures and irrigated horticulture.

Australian Alps

This bioregion extends into New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory and is composed of a number of discrete areas which are above 1200 m in altitude and consists of a series of high plateaus and peaks along the Great Dividing Range.

Grasslands, herblands, sedgelands and rushlands, eucalypt woodlands, chenopod and samphire shrublands, eucalypt tall open forests and pockets of heath dominate the vegetation. Major land uses are nature conservation (parts of the Mt Buffalo and Alpine National Parks) and some native forestry.

New South Wales South Western Slopes

This bioregion extends into New South Wales and occurs on lower foothill slopes and minor ranges in Victoria. It has hot summers with summer and winter rainfall.

Remaining native vegetation is dominated by eucalypt woodlands, callitris forests and woodlands and eucalypt tall open forests.
Patches of low closed forests and closed shrublands, eucalypt open woodlands, grasslands and acacias forests and woodlands occur.

The area has been cleared of eucalypt woodlands for grazing and dryland agriculture with the larger remaining areas of vegetation on the rockier hilly areas. Major land uses are grazing of native and modified pastures, native forests and nature conservation.

Riverina

This bioregion extends into New South Wales and consists of riverine and flood plains with isolated hills. The region has been largely cleared for agriculture including grazing, dryland and irrigated cropping.

Most remaining vegetation occurs along water courses and is dominated by eucalypt woodlands and eucalypt tall open forests and eucalypt woodlands along the Murray River.
Small patches of grasslands, tussock grasslands, shrublands and eucalypt open woodland occur in the region.

Major land uses are grazing of native and modified pastures, dryland cropping (cereals and legumes) and irrigated pastures and horticulture.

Map: Major Vegetation Groups in (circa 1997)

Source:

Major vegetation groups V1.0 (1km), National Land and Water Resources Audit 2001. Data used are assumed to be correct from suppliers.

Map: Extent of the National Vegetation Information System data