Abstract

This dataset and its metadata statement were supplied to the Bioregional Assessment Programme by a third party and are presented here as originally supplied.

Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) Version 7.0 Bioregions represents a landscape based approach to classifying the land surface of Australia. The framework was first described by Thackway and Cresswell (1995). IBRA 7.0 data consists of two hierarchical `Bioregion' datasets described as part of the regionalisation framework for Australia; 1) Regions - larger scale regional classification of homogenous ecosystems & 2) Subregions - a more localised, finer scale classification of ecosystems within the Region boundaries. Each Bioregion reflects a unifying set of major environmental influences (such as geology, landform patterns, climate & ecological features) which shape the occurrence of flora and fauna associations and their interaction with the physical environment across Australia and its external territories (excluding Antarctica). IBRA Version 7.0 describes 89 Regions and 419 Subregions and is the result of updates to the previous version, IBRA Version 6.1 This record represents Australia-wide IBRA Version 7.0 Regions and Subregions.

Purpose

IBRA is the National Reserve System's planning framework; it was developed as a fundamental tool for identifying reservation targets towards developing a comprehensive and representative reserve system in Australia.

Dataset History

IBRA Version 7.0 is the result of changes to certain IBRA 6.1 boundaries with edge-matching along state borders. The updated boundaries were jointly defined by the Commonwealth, State and Territory nature and conservation agencies. There have been significant changes in Queensland and South Australia. In addition the dataset was also updated to more closely conform to the Geoscience Australia (GA) 1:100K Coastline and State borders. Various sources were used to delineate islands - these included the GA 100K Admin layer plus the Australian Maritime Boundaries dataset, a Coral Sea dataset (held in ERIN) and the GA Commonwealth Fisheries 2006 dataset. In South Australia, the work undertaken by the CSIRO to map the `Environments of South Australia' (see Laut, et. al. 1977) has formed the basis for the mapping of IBRA boundaries for the state. In 1995 the environmental association units, described as part of this work, were reviewed and aggregated to initially form IBRA Regions for the first version of IBRA (Version 4.1). In 2000 an update to create IBRA Version 5.1 incorporated a finer scale level of mapping in the IBRA dataset with the delineation of IBRA Subregions; as part of the hierarchy formed by the IBRA framework Subregions are aggregated to form the boundaries of the IBRA Regions. In South Australia, the environmental associations were interpreted again to form the basis for IBRA Subregions. In 2005 the Subregion boundaries in the South Australian pastoral districts were re-interpreted based on an assignment of the pastoral land system mapping units to Subregion groupings. As part of that update, the land system mapping units replaced the CSIRO environmental associations as the smallest units maintained for the IBRA framework in SA. These updates were initially featured in an SA-only draft IBRA layer designated Version 6.2. These updates are now fully incorprated in the national IBRA Version 7.0 dataset with some additional updates.

Dataset Citation

SA Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources (2015) IBRA Region Australia Version 7.0 - PED. Bioregional Assessment Source Dataset. Viewed 12 October 2016, http://data.bioregionalassessments.gov.au/dataset/9791362e-bfb3-4d13-8a7a-dd10f25c4d84.

Abstract

This dataset and its metadata statement were supplied to the Bioregional Assessment Programme by a third party and are presented here as originally supplied.

Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) Version 7.0 Bioregions represents a landscape based approach to classifying the land surface of Australia. The framework was first described by Thackway and Cresswell (1995). IBRA 7.0 data consists of two hierarchical `Bioregion' datasets described as part of the regionalisation framework for Australia; 1) Regions - larger scale regional classification of homogenous ecosystems & 2) Subregions - a more localised, finer scale classification of ecosystems within the Region boundaries. Each Bioregion reflects a unifying set of major environmental influences (such as geology, landform patterns, climate & ecological features) which shape the occurrence of flora and fauna associations and their interaction with the physical environment across Australia and its external territories (excluding Antarctica). IBRA Version 7.0 describes 89 Regions and 419 Subregions and is the result of updates to the previous version, IBRA Version 6.1 This record represents Australia-wide IBRA Version 7.0 Regions and Subregions.

Purpose

IBRA is the National Reserve System's planning framework; it was developed as a fundamental tool for identifying reservation targets towards developing a comprehensive and representative reserve system in Australia.

Dataset History

IBRA Version 7.0 is the result of changes to certain IBRA 6.1 boundaries with edge-matching along state borders. The updated boundaries were jointly defined by the Commonwealth, State and Territory nature and conservation agencies. There have been significant changes in Queensland and South Australia. In addition the dataset was also updated to more closely conform to the Geoscience Australia (GA) 1:100K Coastline and State borders. Various sources were used to delineate islands - these included the GA 100K Admin layer plus the Australian Maritime Boundaries dataset, a Coral Sea dataset (held in ERIN) and the GA Commonwealth Fisheries 2006 dataset. In South Australia, the work undertaken by the CSIRO to map the `Environments of South Australia' (see Laut, et. al. 1977) has formed the basis for the mapping of IBRA boundaries for the state. In 1995 the environmental association units, described as part of this work, were reviewed and aggregated to initially form IBRA Regions for the first version of IBRA (Version 4.1). In 2000 an update to create IBRA Version 5.1 incorporated a finer scale level of mapping in the IBRA dataset with the delineation of IBRA Subregions; as part of the hierarchy formed by the IBRA framework Subregions are aggregated to form the boundaries of the IBRA Regions. In South Australia, the environmental associations were interpreted again to form the basis for IBRA Subregions. In 2005 the Subregion boundaries in the South Australian pastoral districts were re-interpreted based on an assignment of the pastoral land system mapping units to Subregion groupings. As part of that update, the land system mapping units replaced the CSIRO environmental associations as the smallest units maintained for the IBRA framework in SA. These updates were initially featured in an SA-only draft IBRA layer designated Version 6.2. These updates are now fully incorprated in the national IBRA Version 7.0 dataset with some additional updates.

Dataset Citation

SA Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources (2015) IBRA Subregion Australia Version 7.0 - PED. Bioregional Assessment Source Dataset. Viewed 12 October 2016, http://data.bioregionalassessments.gov.au/dataset/e5a6d60a-009c-4fc3-b27d-67ed108b38ba.

PLEASE NOTE: IBRA 4.1 is a historical dataset and has been superseded by subsequent versions. IBRA Version 4.1 is regarded as the best available GIS representation of the original IBRA Version 4.0 map presented in Thackway and Cresswell (1995). This product is referenced in the Determinations of Threatened Species under the New South Wales (NSW) Threatened Species Conservation Act (1995) made before March 2013.\r \r IBRA regions represent a landscape based approach to classifying the land surface of Australia from a range of continental data on environmental attributes. The dataset is derived from data and information provided from State and Territory Nature Conservation agencies regionalisations and aggregated to 80 biogeographic regions for Australia. These biogeographic regions have been delineated, each reflecting a unifying set of major environmental influences which shape the occurrence of flora and fauna and their interaction with the physical environment.\r \r For more information - http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/nrs/science/bioregion-framework/ibra/index.html\r \r \r

The tool holds mapped locations of:Australia's protected areas, Collaborative Australian Protected Areas Database (CAPAD) 2024, andAustralia's bioregions, Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation of Australia (IBRA) Version 7.1You can use this tool to:Map and obtain information about protected areas and bioregionsQuery the CAPAD dataset using filters and check summary statistics for different slices of the dataCheck the extent to which bioregions are protected for biodiversityThe tool also provides some additional information that might be useful including full descriptions of IBRA regions, full descriptions for International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) protection categories and names for protected area managing authorities.AcknowledgementsThis database has been compiled from a range of data sources. The department acknowledges the following custodians who have contributed valuable data and advice. Please refer to the CAPAD and IBRA metadata statements for full attributions for each dataset.Produced by the Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water COPYRIGHT Commonwealth of Australia, 2024. Projection: Web Mercator, Datum: GDA94.Using the Interactive MapThe Interactive Map is defined in CAPAD and IBRA7.1, and provides a graphical means to identify areas of interest within Australia and its Territories. From the interactive map, display layers may be selected to aid the work you do. The available layers include:Collaborative Australian Protected Areas Database (CAPAD) 2024Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation of Australia (IBRA) Version 7.1-- Regions-- Regions (Coloured by percentage protected)-- SubregionsCheck the CAPAD and IBRA7.1 item page for further details.Using the tabsThe tool is designed in a 'tab' layout. Explore the available tabs along the bottom of the tool.Help and feedbackIf you need help using the interactive map, or wish to provide feedback, please contact Geospatial Data Assets via email on geospatial@dcceew.gov.au. Please include a phone number where we can contact you.Browser RequirementsYou will need to have a Javascript enabled web browser and accept all cookies. Works best on Internet Explorer V. 7 or higher and Firefox 3.6 and above. It is not possible to use this tool on a mobile device at this stage.If the map fails to load, please contact the Department via email on geospatial@dcceew.gov.au. Please include a phone number where we can contact you.Caveat for CAPAD and IBRA dataThe boundaries of the CAPAD data are indicative only. While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of the information, no guarantee is given, nor responsibility taken, by the Commonwealth for its accuracy, currency or completeness. The Commonwealth does not accept any responsibility for any loss or damage that may be occasioned directly or indirectly through the use of, or reliance on, the information contained in this application. The CAPAD Dashboard is not intended to be a complete source of information on the matters it deals with. Individuals and organisations should consider all the available information, including that available from other sources, in deciding whether to rely on the accuracy of the information displayed in the Dashboard.

Abstract The dataset was derived by the Bioregional Assessment Programme from IBRA data provided by the Australian Government Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population, and Communities. The source dataset(s) is identified in the Lineage field in this metadata statement. The processes undertaken to produce this derived dataset are described in the History field in this metadata statement. Approved boundaries version 3 of the bioregions and subregions for defining the …Show full descriptionAbstract The dataset was derived by the Bioregional Assessment Programme from IBRA data provided by the Australian Government Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population, and Communities. The source dataset(s) is identified in the Lineage field in this metadata statement. The processes undertaken to produce this derived dataset are described in the History field in this metadata statement. Approved boundaries version 3 of the bioregions and subregions for defining the reporting regions for Bioregional assessments of impacts of coal seam gas and coal mining development on water resources. This release contains two spatial dataset vector layers; ba_bioregion_alb_gda94_v02p1 is a topologically & geometrically correct spatial layer of the approved bioregions for the Bioregional Assessment Program. This layer's extent outlines the bioregions for the Assessment teams only. ba_bioregion_and_subregion_alb_gda94_v02p1 is a topologically & geometrically correct spatial layer of the approved bioregions and subregions for the Bioregional Assessment Program. This layer's extent outlines the bioregions and subregions for the Assessment teams only. The layer is coincident with the three input layers & inherited the coordinate system of the parent layers (Geographic Coordinate System, Geocentric Datum of Australia 1994): Coal Basins sourced from Geoscience Australia Geological Provinces. Natural Resource Management (NRM) regions based upon catchments or bioregions which have been identified by the Australian Government, in association with state and territory governments. The continental scale Coastline from Geoscience Australia (Topo 250K). It was created using a number of ArcGIS (ESRI) geoprocesses; clip coal basins to onshore extent, intersect coal basins with NRM boundaries; merge regions to single layer. This method (verified by a check & repair of geometry/topology) avoided the errors introduced in earlier versions. Further agreed changes to the extents for the Northern Inland Catchments (NIC) bioregion, the Clarence-Moreton (CLM) bioregion, the Northern Sydney Basin (NSB) bioregion, and the Sydney Basin (SSB) bioregion have been included in this updated version. The boundary layer was then projected to Australian Albers 1994; EPSG 4283, the agreed projection for maps in technical products, as recorded in the 'Product standards for the bioregional assessments v17'. The dataset was derived by the Bioregional Assessment Programme from the "Bioregional Assessment areas v01" and "Bioregional Assessment areas v02" dataset provided by the Department of Environment. The source dataset is identified in the Lineage field in this metadata statement. The processes undertaken to produce this derived dataset are described in the History field in this metadata statement. Purpose Provides authoritative boundaries for defining bioregions and subregions to be reported on for the Bioregional Asessments Dataset History This dataset contains two spatial shapefiles: "ba_bioregion_alb_gda94_v03.shp" and "ba_subregion_alb_gda94_v03.shp". The bioregion shapefile is a copy of the previous version's (Bioregional Assessment Areas v02) bioregions, except for the Lake Eyre Basin extent. The Lake Eyre Basin extent has been recreated from the original version's (Bioregional Assessment Areas v01) Lake Eyre Basin Bioregion feature class merged with all the Lake Eyre Basin subregions, to ensure complete coverage between bioregion and subregions. There has been no change made to the subregions shapefile between this version and the previous (version 2) Dataset Citation Bioregional Assessment Programme (2014) Bioregional Assessment areas v03. Bioregional Assessment Derived Dataset. Viewed 13 March 2019, http://data.bioregionalassessments.gov.au/dataset/96dbf469-5463-4f4d-8fad-4214c97e5aac. Dataset Ancestors Derived From Natural Resource Management (NRM) Regions 2010 Derived From Bioregional Assessment areas v01 Derived From Bioregional Assessment areas v02 Derived From GEODATA TOPO 250K Series 3 Derived From NSW Catchment Management Authority Boundaries 20130917 Derived From Geological Provinces - Full Extent Derived From GEODATA TOPO 250K Series 3, File Geodatabase format (.gdb)

PLEASE NOTE: IBRA 4.1 is a historical dataset and has been superseded by subsequent versions. IBRA Version 4.1 is regarded as the best available GIS representation of the original IBRA Version 4.0 map presented in Thackway and Cresswell (1995). This product is referenced in the Determinations of Threatened Species under the New South Wales (NSW) Threatened Species Conservation Act (1995) made before March 2013.

IBRA regions represent a landscape based approach to classifying the land surface of Australia from a range of continental data on environmental attributes. The dataset is derived from data and information provided from State and Territory Nature Conservation agencies regionalisations and aggregated to 80 biogeographic regions for Australia. These biogeographic regions have been delineated, each reflecting a unifying set of major environmental influences which shape the occurrence of flora and fauna and their interaction with the physical environment.

For more information - http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/nrs/science/bioregion-framework/ibra/index.html

The rangelands are those areas where the rainfall is too low or unreliable and the soils too poor to support regular cropping. They cover about 80% of Australia and include savannas, woodlands, shrublands, grasslands and wetlands. The rangeland boundary as defined by the Australian Collaborative Rangeland Information System (ACRIS) is based on mapped bioregions and, specifically, those largely undisturbed or natural bioregions (Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia, IBRA version 7.0) within Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory. The boundary in Queensland was modified according to some local government (i.e. shire) boundaries. The boundary was jointly defined by members of the ACRIS Management Committee and revised by the ACRIS Management Unit based on IBRA v7 mapping.STAT7 is the ACRIS numbering of states based on IBRA7. STAT6 is the ACRIS numbering of states, based on IBRA6.1.

These reports are provided as a historic archive only and are not current. If you have an ongoing requirement to use the statistics, to meet a legislative or policy requirement, please seek advice from the relevant WA Government Department or Authority rather than contacting the data custodians listed under Key Information. If you use the reports, please include a caveat stating the following: (1) year of currency, (2) a statement that the statistics presented may now be out of date, and (3) the report citation. Overview of the Report: From 2007 to 2018 DBCA provided regular updates of statistics on the pre-European and current extent of the vegetation associations of Western Australia within IBRA or IBRA sub-regions. The reporting is based on Beards (pre-European) vegetation mapping of systems and associations at 1:250,000. The statistics were used for several purposes including conservation planning, land use planning and when assessing development applications. The statistics provided a general overview of the status of vegetation associations, within IBRA bioregions or sub-regions, noting the limitations detailed in the README document relating to scale, remnant vegetation mapping and currency of the analysis. They were intended to be used in conjunction with other information on the biodiversity values of an area and with input and advice from people familiar with the vegetation association and the vegetation condition of an area of interest. Included in the report are statistics on the progress towards achieving a conservation reserve system, for WA, that is comprehensive, adequate and representative (CAR). The CAR reserve system is based on three principles: Comprehensive - includes the full range of ecological/forest communities recognised at an appropriate scale within and across each bioregion, Adequate – level (extent) of reservation that will ensure viability and integrity of populations, species, and ecological communities, and Representative – those areas reserved should reasonably reflect the biotic diversity of the communities The system of reserves helps conserve our biodiversity. Please contact DBCA for advice on the CAR statistics. In 2011 the name of the report changed from "CAR Analysis" to "Statewide Vegetation Statistics". The CAR analysis statistics are still included in the report.

The Australian Google Earth Engine Burnt Area Map (AUS GEEBAM) is a rapid, national approach to fire severity mapping. It has been developed rapidly to support the immediate needs of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DAWE) in:a) quantifying the potential impacts of the 2019/20 bushfires on wildlife, plants and ecological communities, andb) identifying appropriate response and recovery actions.AUS GEEBAM Fire Severity uses Sentinel 2A satellite imagery from before and after fire to estimate the severity of burn within each 40m grid cell. Fire severity is defined as a metric of the loss or change in organic matter caused by fire.The extent of the 2019/2020 fires was derived from the National Indicative Aggregated Fire Extent Dataset (NIAFED). NIAFED was sourced from the national Emergency Management Spatial Information Network Australia (EMSINA) data service, which is the official fire extent currently used by the Commonwealth and adds supplementary data from other sources to form a cumulative national view of fire extent.AUS GEEBAM relies on a vegetation index (Relativised Normalized Burnt Ratio, RNBR) that is calculated for burnt areas and adjacent unburnt areas, before and after the fire season. The result is a map of four fire severity classes that represent how severely vegetation was burnt during the 2019/2020 fires.To determine a reference unburnt condition, the NIAFED extent was buffered by 2km. For each NVIS broad vegetation type, in each IBRA bioregion a reference unburnt RNBR class was determined. That value was available to calculate a standardised offset or a reference unburnt value.Each IBRA bioregion was systematically assessed to correct for obvious errors. For example, the Very High severity class could be adjusted down by one RNBR Value for a fire where its extent extended into an area of lower severity. Conversely, there were areas of shrublands that had clearly burnt at Very High severity where all of the biomass is likely to have been consumed but low pre-fire biomass had given it a lower RNBR Value.Each pixel of AUS GEEBAM contains the raw RNBR Value, the RNBR Class and the GEEBAM Value. This allows an end user to observe which values have been adjusted during the calibration away from the default global RNBR Value and allows for some transparency in the process.GEEBAMValueGEEBAM ClassDescription1No dataNo data indicates areas outside NIAFED or NVIS categories that do not represent native vegetation (e.g. cleared land, water)2UnburntLittle or no change observed between pre-fire and post-fire imagery.3Low and ModerateSome change or moderate change detected when compared to reference unburnt areas outside the NIAFED extent.4HighVegetation is mostly scorched.5Very highVegetation is clearly consumed.Known Issues:The dataset has a number of known issues, both in its conceptual design and in the quality of its inputs. These are outlined below and should be taken into account when interpreting the data and developing any derived analyses.The list of known issues below is not comprehensive, it is anticipated that further issues will be identified, and the Department welcomes feedback on this. We will seek as far as possible to continuously improve the dataset in future versions.AUS GEEBAM classes are not based on field data and no confidence interval or report on accuracy has been provided.The number of severity classes has been reduced by combining low and moderate severity fires. Single index thresholds are known to feature poor delineation of low fire severity classes.AUS GEEBAM classes are calibrated systematically for each bioregion using visual interpretation of Sentinel 2 false colour composites. The limitations associated with the NIAFED are carried through to this dataset. Users are advised to refer to the NIAFED documentation to better understand limitations.This continental dataset includes large burnt areas, particularly in northern Australia, which can be considered part of the natural landscape dynamics. For the intended purpose of informing on the potential impact of fire on the environmental, some interpretation and filtering may be required. The NIAFED dataset used as the extent layer for AUS GEEBAM Fire Severity is current as of 24 February 2020. More recent versions were available at the time of creation, however, these would have introduced burnt areas from a second fire season in Northern Australia where fire patterns differ greatly to that of southern Australia.NOTE: Report methodology and supporting material is available on request to geospatial@dcceew.gov.auTo download this data go to AUS GEEBAM download file

Representation within the National Reserve System 2015 for Vascular Plants as a function of current climate and climate change based on Generalised Dissimilarity Modelling (GDM) of compositional turnover. This metric represents a measure of the support provided for the ecological environments of each grid cell by the NRS. A full description of the project can be found in the report "Assessing the ecological representativeness of Australia’s terrestrial National Reserve System: A community-level modelling approach" by KJ Williams, TD Harwood & S Ferrier (2016) at https://publications.csiro.au/rpr/pub?pid=csiro:EP163634

Four subfolders are provided: 1. P maps: 9s resolution mapping of cellwise P metric for representation of the environment of each cell within the NRS based on a GDM model of Vascular Plants.

1. IBRA maps: 9s resolution mapping of summary statistics (17: proportion 17% represented and Geometric Mean: P metric summarised by region) with single value applied to all cells within each IBRA bioregion.

2. IBRASUB maps: 9s resolution mapping of summary statistics (17: proportion 17% represented and Geometric Mean: P metric summarised by region) with single value applied to all cells within each IBRA subregion. Format ESRI float grids

3. Summary statistics: Regional statistics and histograms of distribution of values within IBRA bioregions and IBRA subregions. Format: Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. Files contain a row for each numbered region. Statistics files show the Geometric and Arithmetic Mean, the proportion of each region achieving target representation and the Maximum and Minimum cellwise representation within each region.

Lineage: Representation was calculated using the highly parallel bespoke CSIRO Muru software running on a LINUX high-performance-computing cluster, taking GDM model transformed environmental grids as inputs.

National Reserve System 2015 definition: The NRS was defined as NRS categories I or Y in CAPAD 2014, with the addition of recently gazetted Indigenous Protected Areas (31/10/15).

GDM Model: Generalised dissimilarity model of compositional turnover in vascular plant species for continental Australia at 9 second resolution using ANHAT data extracted 2013 (GDM: VAS_v5_r11): http://doi.org/10.4225/08/557FB520465F7

Climate data. Models were built and projected using: a) 9-second gridded climatology for continental Australia 1976-2005: Summary variables with elevation and radiative adjustment b) 9-second gridded climatology for continental Australia 2036-2065 GCMS: CAN ESM2 & MIROC5 RCP 4.5 & RCP 8.5 (CMIP5): Summary variables with elevation and radiative adjustment

Further details are given in the project report: https://publications.csiro.au/rpr/pub?pid=csiro:EP163634

AREA Environmental & Heritage Consultants (AREA) were engaged by NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) in 2023 to conduct a vegetation survey on Brindingabba National Park to inform the production of a Plant Community Type (PCT) map of the park and produce a report detailing the methodologies used to complete the PCT map. \r \r The rural property Brindingabba-Bindra Station located approximately 150km north of Bourke and covering approximately 33,000 hectares was added to the NSW national parks estate in late 2021. Brindingabba National Park is located in the Mulga Lands Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) Bioregion. The Park’s most southern boundary is approximately 2.5 kilometres north of the Cuttaburra Creek. The Cuttaburra Creek floodplain extends into the park.\r \r More information is included in the report:\r Brindingabba National Park Vegetation Survey, Mapping methodology and results, Bourke LGA NSW, March 2023\r \r VIS ID 5125