Synthesizing Data to Classify and Risk Assess Vegetation Types for Regulations in Inland New South Wales Australia

John Benson

doi:10.3390/land10101050

Abstract

From 1998, land-use regulations in New South Wales Australia referred to risk status of plant community types and abiotic landscapes. Lacking was a uniform vegetation classification for 77% of NSW comprising the inland arid, semi-arid and cropping agricultural zones: regions that contain patchy floristic plot data. In response, 562 plant communities, mainly at levels 8 in the IVC, were classified by synthesizing plot-based analyses, qualitative descriptions, maps, extensive field checks, new field samples and peer review. Qualitative information was vital to complete a thorough classification. Each type was assigned a risk category based on six risk assessment criteria developed prior to IUCN RLE. Occurrences in protected areas were audited and related to original extent yielding a protected area/adequacy code. Results were used in land change assessment tools and contributed to the listing of 40 threatened ecological communities under biodiversity laws. Two mapping methods attained different levels of reliability. Applying risk criteria to coarse versus fine levels in typologies can produce different results. Mid-to fine level global hierarchies best suit ecosystem risk assessment.

Highlights

Environmental assessment and land use regulation can refer to risk and conservation status of classified units, from the gene to the biosphere [1,2,3]
The vegetation classification, risk assessment criteria and description of methods applied in the vegetation classification along with the NSW vegetation classification and assessment database project (NSWVCA) 90-information field database are described [8] at https://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/getmedia/623f3dc8-99ba-421f-a9
Community Type (PCT) number, scientific name, common name, level of classification, formation group, vegetation structure, adequacy of plot data, confidence, photographs and captions, relationship to ecological classifications in adjoining jurisdictions, soil, substrate, landform, presence in bioregions, subregions and local government areas, extent at time of pre-European settlement (1788), current extent, extent recorded in each protected area, statistics on proportion in protected areas compared to 1788 and current extent, Land 2021, 10, 1050 total protected area, list of threatening processes and appropriate fire regime based on available research

Summary

Introduction

Environmental assessment and land use regulation can refer to risk and conservation status of classified units, from the gene to the biosphere [1,2,3]. For the first 13 years of the regulations land use change proposals required landowners to develop property vegetation plans (PVPs) assessed by field checks and spreadsheet calculation tools [4,5]. At the core of the regulations was a requirement to assess the status of plant community types (PCTs). By 2002 an abiotic 500+-unit landscape classification covered NSW [6], used in the land assessment tools, lacking was a uniform NSW-wide, fine thematic vegetation classification and status assessment. A seminal book on Australian vegetation was published in 1981 [9] listing plant assemblage groupings in a hierarchy providing a detailed continental overview

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Conclusion