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Major vegetation groups and their status in each State & Territory
South Australia

Key features

South Australia is dominated by arid lands and has extensive areas of mallee, chenopod (saltbush, bluebush) shrublands, acacia shrublands (mulga and myall) and hummock grasslands. Small areas only of eucalypt open forests and woodland are found in the south-east of the State (Figure 26, Table 21).

Bioregions in South Australia

Channel Country

This bioregion extends to Queensland, Northern Territory and New South Wales. It has an arid climate with very dry, hot summers and short, dry winters. It is characterised by vast braided, flood and alluvial plains.

• Dominated by mixed forests and woodlands, hummock and tussock grasslands and chenopod and samphire shrublands.
• Small areas of acacia shrublands, acacia open woodlands and eucalypt woodlands occur.

Major land uses are cattle grazing and nature conservation (Innamincka Regional Reserve).

Simpson-Strzelecki Dunefields

This bioregion extends to the Northern Territory with small areas in Queensland and New South Wales. The bioregion is characterised by long parallel sand dunes, fringing dune fields, extensive saltpans, sand plains and dry watercourses and a hot, dry climate. Lake Eyre and Lake Frome are two major salt lakes.

• Dominant vegetation is hummock and tussock grasslands, acacia open woodlands, acacia shrublands small areas of mixed forests and woodlands and salt lakes.

Major land uses are grazing and nature conservation including the Simpson Desert Regional Reserve and Conservation Park, Lake Eyre National Park, Strzelecki Regional Reserve and Lake Frome Regional Reserve.

Broken Hill Complex

This bioregion extends into New South Wales, includes the entire length of the Barrier Ranges and has a dry hot to warm climate.

• Dominated by chenopod and samphire shrublands, other shrublands, casuarina forests and woodlands and small areas of acacia shrublands.

The major land use is grazing of native pastures.

Stony Plains

The majority of the bioregion falls within South Australia with only the northern most tip of the area lying across the border in the Northern Territory. The region experiences extreme temperatures and climate change with hot dry spells for much of the summer period and mild dry winters and is characterised by lowland sand and stony plains.

• The gilgai gibber tableland supports chenopod shrubland vegetation.
• Acacia forests and woodlands (gidgee-Acacia cambagei) and eucalypt woodlands (coolibah-Eucalyptus coolabah) or river red gum (E. camaldulensis) follow the creek lines.
• Other vegetation present includes tussock grasslands, acacia open woodlands, acacia shrublands and other shrublands.

Major land uses are cattle and sheep grazing with some nature conservation (Witjira National Park).

Finke

This bioregion extends to the Northern Territory and is characterised by arid sand plains with dissected uplands and valleys. The climate is arid and hot.

• Dominated by tussock grasslands, acacia shrublands and chenopod and samphire shrublands.

Major land uses are cattle grazing and traditional Indigenous uses.

Central Ranges

This bioregion extends to Western Australia and the Northern Territory. The bioregion is characterised by east-west trending rocky ranges of the Petermann, Musgrave and Mann Ranges and red sand plains. It has hot summers with temperatures that can exceed 50°C and cool to cold winters. Winter rainfall accounts for most of the rain in the region.

• Vegetation includes acacia shrublands, tussock and hummock grasslands.

Major land uses are traditional Indigenous uses.

Great Victoria Desert

This bioregion extends into Western Australia and is characterised by dunes and swales with local occurrences of playa lakes, associated lee-sided mounds (lunettes) and rocky areas. The climate is arid, warm to extremely hot in summer and mild to warm winters. Rainfall generally occurs in the winter and summer.

• Diversity of vegetation groups including chenopod and samphire shrublands, acacia shrublands and open woodlands, eucalypt open woodlands, casuarina and mallee communities and small areas of heath.

Major land uses are traditional Indigenous uses and nature conservation including the Unnamed Conservation Park, Tallaringa Conservation Park, Yellabinna Regional Reserve and Yumbarra Conservation Park.

Nullarbor

The bioregion extends to Western Australia and has a semi-arid climate with mild winters and includes the Nullarbor Plain.

• Dominant vegetation is chenopod and samphire shrublands, mallee and casuarina communities, other shrublands and tussock grasslands.

Major land uses are traditional Indigenous uses and nature conservation including the Nullarbor Regional Reserve and National Park and Yalata Indigenous Protected Area.

Gawler

The Gawler Ranges forms the southernmost extent of the bioregion, with the northern part of the region characterised by plains and salt lakes. It has mild to hot summers, cool to mild winters, and a low variable annual rainfall.

• Vegetation includes acacia shrublands, mallee woodlands and shrublands, chenopod and samphire shrublands and eucalypt woodlands and tussock grasslands surrounding the salt lakes.

Major land uses are sheep grazing and nature conservation including the Lake Gairdner and Lake Torrens National Parks.

Eyre Yorke Block

This bioregion consists of undulating to occasionally hilly plains and sands.

• Dominated by mallee woodlands and shrublands, with areas of eucalypt woodlands, chenopod and samphire shrublands, callitris woodlands, melaleuca shrublands, and tussock grasslands.

This region has been cleared (65%) extensively and the major land uses are cropping for cereals, grazing of native and modified pastures, and nature conservation including the Pinkawillinie Conservation Park and Coffin Bay National Park.

Flinders Lofty Block

This bioregion has a general pattern of mountain ranges and wide flat plains and contains the Flinders and Olary Ranges. It has a semi-arid to arid climate with hot dry summers and cool mild winters.

• Vegetation is very diverse and includes tussock grasslands, chenopod and samphire shrublands, acacia forests and woodlands, callitris forests and woodlands, eucalypt open woodlands, hummock grasslands, mallee woodlands and shrublands and acacia open woodlands in the north.

Major land uses in the north are grazing and nature conservation including the Flinders Ranges and Gammon Ranges National Parks and the Nantawarrina Indigenous Protected Area.

• The undulating lowlands in the south of the bioregion were extensively cleared for crops in the early days of settlement, and subsequent over-grazing has reduced the vegetation density and diversity.
• Vegetation remaining includes casuarina communities, eucalypt woodlands and very small areas of eucalypt open forests.

Major land uses are dryland cropping for cereals, grazing of native and modified pastures, urban development and small areas of forestry and irrigated vines.

Murray-Darling Depression

The bioregion extends into New South Wales and Victoria.

• Dominant vegetation in the far north of the region which remains uncleared is mallee woodlands and shrublands, casuarina forests and woodlands and chenopod and samphire shrublands.

Major land uses are grazing and nature conservation.

• The middle and southern parts of the region have been extensively cleared and include some large areas of mallee woodlands and shrublands and heath, tussock grasslands, acacia shrublands, other forests and woodlands and other grasslands. In the far south very small fragments of eucalypt woodlands, heath and eucalypt open woodlands remain.

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

Kanmantoo

This bioregion covers Kangaroo Island as well as some land on the mainland. Substantial areas in the central, central northern and eastern parts have been cleared (66%).

• Vegetation on Kangaroo island is dominated by mallee woodlands and shrublands, eucalypt woodlands and small patches of eucalypt open woodland, other shrublands, heath and low closed forests and closed shrublands.

Major land uses are grazing of native and modified pastures, nature conservation (Cape Bouguer, Ravine Des Casoars and Cape Gantheume Wilderness Protection Areas and Flinders Chase National Park) with small areas of cropping for cereals, oilseeds and oleaginous fruit and legumes.

• Vegetation on the mainland includes mallee woodlands and shrublands, eucalypt woodlands, eucalypt open forests and other forests and woodlands.

Major land uses are grazing of native and modified pastures and small areas of plantations, nature conservation and cropping for cereals.

Naracoorte Coastal Plain

This bioregion extends into Victoria.

• Extensively cleared with remaining vegetation including mallee woodlands and shrublands, heath and other shrublands, mangroves, sedgelands, eucalypt woodlands, chenopod and samphire shrublands and eucalypt open woodlands.

Major land uses are grazing of native and modified pastures, cereal cropping and some irrigated cropping, plantations, nature conservation and small areas of state forests.

Victorian Volcanic Plain

The majority of this bioregion is in Victoria.

• The South Australian portion is cleared except for small fragments of eucalypt woodlands.

Table 21: Area (km²) of pre-European and native vegetation in South Australia*.

Major vegetation group	Present	Pre-European
Chenopod shrubs, samphire shrubs and forblands	182,644	183,263
Hummock grasslands	175,363	175,363
Acacia shrublands	151,769	155,311
Mallee woodlands and shrublands	118,531	181,354
Tussock grasslands	81,187	88,736
Other forests and woodlands	34,958	37,807
Mangroves, tidal mudflats, samphires and bare areas, claypans, sand, rock, salt lakes, lagoons, lakes	28,769	28,898
Other shrublands	25,658	28,268
Acacia open woodlands	25,414	25,414
Eucalypt woodlands	16,459	31,955
Acacia forests and woodlands	15,414	15,414
Casuarina forests and woodlands	15,261	15,261
Eucalypt open woodlands	7,652	7,652
Heath	2,680	2,680
Callitris forests and woodlands	1,023	1,023
Other grasslands, herblands, sedgelands and rushlands	772	772
Eucalypt open forests	396	4,152
Eucalypt low open forests	17	17
Melaleuca forests and woodlands	7	18
Low closed forests and closed shrublands	3	3
Note: * in order of greatest to smallest area.

Vegetation change

In South Australia, 11% or 10.4 million hectares of native vegetation has been removed, principally in the higher rainfall areas in the south. Remnant vegetation in these areas is highly fragmented, in particular in the Eyre Yorke Block, Kanmantoo, Flinders Lofty Block, Naracoorte Coastal Plain and Murray-Darling Depression bioregions.

The most affected major vegetation groups are the mallee woodlands and shrublands, eucalypt woodlands, acacia shrublands, hummock grasslands and eucalypt open forests.

Where extant mapping is not available and for the areas where vegetation has been cleared, broad pre-European mapping was used to fill the gaps. However, the pre-European mapping was based on a much broader structural classification system that was not directly comparable with the classification system of the extant mapping. Area estimates from this comparison have been included for indicative purposes only. A program now exists to map pre-European vegetation with the same classification standards as the extant mapping that will enable future comparisons.

The Audit assessment of landscape health provides a summary on a subregional basis of the landscape stresses in South Australia including clearing, grazing, feral animals and weeds (NLWRA 2001c).

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