Protected Plant Survey

Regional Ecosystems (3SP246584)                                                                            30/03/2016 16:40:34




Regional Ecosystems
1. Introduction
Regional ecosystems are vegetation communities in a bioregion that are consistently associated with a particular combination
of geology, landform and soil. Descriptions of Queensland's Regional ecosystems are available online from the Regional
Ecosystem Description Database (REDD). Descriptions are compiled from a broad range of information sources including
vegetation, land system and geology survey and mapping and detailed vegetation site data. The regional ecosystem is
regularly reviewed as new information becomes available. A number of vegetation communities may form a single regional
ecosystem and are usually distinguished by differences in dominant species, frequently in the shrub or ground layers and are
denoted by a letter following the regional ecosystem code (e.g. a, b, c).

The Queensland Herbarium has developed a methodology for mapping regional ecosystems across Queensland. As new
information is obtained, the descriptions and status of regional ecosystems is updated. Regional ecosystems and broad
vegetation groups descriptions in the format of Sattler and Williams (1999) are maintained in the Regional Ecosystem
Description Database (REDD). Vegetation communities and regional ecosystems are amalgamated into the higher level
classification of broad vegetation groups (BVGs).

This report provides information on the type, status, and extent of vegetation communities, regional ecosystems and broad
vegetation groups present within a user specified area of interest. Please note, for the purpose of this report, the Biodiversity
Status is used. This report has not been developed for application of matters relevant to the Vegetation Management Act
1999 (VMA). Additionally, information generated in this report has been derived from the Queensland Herbarium's Regional
Ecosystem Mapping, and not mapping certified for the purposes of the VMA. If your interest/matter relates to regional
ecosystems and the VMA, users should refer to the Department of Natural Resources and Mines website.
https://www.dnrm.qld.gov.au/

With respect to the Queensland Biodiversity Status,
"Endangered" regional ecosystems are described as those where:
       • remnant vegetation is less than 10 per cent of its pre-clearing extent across the bioregion; or 10-30% of its
       pre-clearing extent remains and the remnant vegetation is less than 10,000 hectares, or
       • less than 10 per cent of its pre-clearing extent remains unaffected by severe degradation and/or biodiversity loss*, or
       • 10-30 per cent of its pre-clearing extent remains unaffected by severe degradation and/or biodiversity loss and the
       remnant vegetation is less than 10,000 hectares; or
       • it is a rare** regional ecosystem subject to a threatening process.***


"Of concern" regional ecosystems are described as those where:
       • the degradation criteria listed above for 'Endangered' regional ecosystems are not met and,
       • remnant vegetation is 10-30 per cent of its pre-clearing extent across the bioregion; or more than 20 per cent of its
       pre-clearing extent remains and the remnant extent is less than 10,000 hectares, or
       • 10-30 percent of its pre-clearing extent remains unaffected by moderate degradation and/or biodiversity loss.****


and "No concern at present" regional ecosystems are described as those where:
       • remnant vegetation is over 30 per cent of its pre-clearing extent across the bioregion, and the remnant area is greater
       than 10,000 hectares, and
       • the degradation criteria listed above for 'Endangered' or 'Of concern' regional ecosystems are not met.


*Severe degradation and/or biodiversity loss is defined as: floristic and/or faunal diversity is greatly reduced but unlikely to
recover within the next 50 years even with the removal of threatening processes; or soil surface is severely degraded, for
example, by loss of A horizon, surface expression of salinity; surface compaction, loss of organic matter or sheet erosion.

**Rare regional ecosystem: pre-clearing extent (1000 ha); or patch size (100 ha and of limited total extent across its range).

***Threatening processes are those that are reducing or will reduce the biodiversity and ecological integrity of a regional
ecosystem. For example, clearing, weed invasion, fragmentation, inappropriate fire regime or grazing pressure, or
infrastructure development.


Page 5