Australian Native Vegetation Assessment 2001
Maria Cofinas, Colin Creighton
National Land and Water Resources Audit, 2001
ISBN 0 642 37128 8
Preface
Eucalypts in riparian zone affected by salt, South of Kojonup, WA
Photo: Damian Shepherd
Natural resource management requires integrated solutions and assessments across the landscape. Australian Native Vegetation Assessment 2001 serves as an input to the broader natural resource management issues assessed by the Audit and other natural resource management activities at all scales of government and community activity.
The Natural Heritage Trust is focusing on protecting and enhancing native vegetation cover across Australia to reverse the long-term decline in the quality and extent of Australia's native vegetation cover. Parallel to the Bushcare initiative under the Natural Heritage Trust, all States and Territories have active programs in vegetation management, usually based on regional vegetation management planning.
- Australian Native Vegetation Assessment 2001 provides a key information input to planning and vegetation management activities from Australia-wide through to regional scales by making information available on the extent and type of native vegetation present.
The National Framework for the Management and Monitoring of Australia's Vegetation (ANZECC 2000) builds on existing inter-governmental agreements and unifies and complements these processes for native vegetation management. The framework is intended to have a broad scope and to apply across the landscape (inclusive of all processes) and to encompass the environmental, social and economic values of native vegetation. It notes that a system of compatible vegetation information across Australia is one of the key inputs into best practice arrangements for vegetation management and monitoring.
- The National Vegetation Information System underpins and significantly contributes to the Australian New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council National Framework for the Management and Monitoring of Australia's Vegetation.
Native vegetation has a range of productive as well as conservation values. Australia has a long history of forest management and continues to seek a balance between their productive and conservative use.
- Australian Native Vegetation Assessment 2001 provides context information for forest planning, providing an Australia-wide overview of our forest and woodland types and their extent. The National Vegetation Information System, when linked to the National Forest Inventory data sets will provide an important information source for planning and management activities.
The National Action Plan on Salinity and Water Quality is a significant advance for natural resource management. It calls for concerted effort of governments and community through regional planning approaches to address the issues of dryland salinity and water quality within 20 priority catchments. Dryland salinity control is chiefly concerned with re-establishing the water balance that occurred with pre-European native vegetation. Native vegetation management plays a key role in protection from and mitigation against dryland salinity.
- Information on the pre-European and present native vegetation contained within the National Vegetation Information System are key inputs to understanding changes in water balance that have caused increase in groundwater levels. Native vegetation information also provides input to determining the most appropriate strategies to re-establishing water balance.
As part of the international commitment to mitigating against climate change, the Australian Greenhouse Office has established a National Carbon Accounting System that requires information on carbon sequestration and release from both soils and vegetation. The National Vegetation Information System provides the best available Australia-wide vegetation extent and type information, fundamental to and underpinning the National Carbon Accounting System.
- The data sets contained within the National Vegetation Information System are key inputs to understanding changes to Australia's carbon accounts, particularly the role of native vegetation.
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