Australian Native Vegetation Assessment 2001
Maria Cofinas, Colin Creighton
National Land and Water Resources Audit, 2001
ISBN 0 642 37128 8
Major vegetation groups and their status in each State & Territory
Victoria
Photo: Stewart Noble
Key features
Victoria is the smallest mainland State, but a land of great contrast in vegetation types (Figure 28, Table 24). Vegetation includes:
- extensive eucalypt tall open forests with trees rising to 90 m high in the southern ranges and plateaus;
- extensive coastal heaths and wetlands;
- alpine herbfields and bogs covered by winter snows;
- eucalypt open woodlands in the hot and dry plains; and
- mallee eucalypt woodlands and shrublands in the arid environments of the north west of the State.
Bioregions in Victoria
Murray Darling Depression
This bioregion extends into South Australia and New South Wales and has a low elevation with undulating sand plains and dune fields.
- Dominated by mallee woodlands and shrublands, low closed forests and closed shrublands, heath, callitris communities, chenopod shrublands, samphires and lakes.
- The Murray River running along the northern border has callitris, eucalypt woodlands and other forests and woodland communities.
Much of this region has been cleared for cropping (cereals and legumes) and grazing and irrigated agriculture (vine fruits) along the Murray and Wimmera Rivers. Major land uses are dryland cropping, nature conservation (Murray-Sunset and Little Desert National Parks, Big Desert Wilderness Park), grazing of native and modified pastures and some native forests and irrigated cropping.
Naracoorte Coastal Plain
This bioregion extends into South Australia and is flat and low lying with a temperate, warm and dry summer climate.
- Dominated by mallee woodlands and shrublands, eucalypt open forests, low closed forests and closed shrublands and eucalypt woodlands.
- Small areas of grasslands, heath and chenopod and samphire shrublands occur throughout.
- Coastal communities include melaleuca forests and woodlands, heath, chenopod and samphire shrublands.
Much of the sandy soil has been cleared for agriculture and plantations and a number of wetlands have been drained in the region. Major land uses are grazing of native and modified pastures, native and plantation forestry and nature conservation.
Victorian Midlands
This bioregion stretches east to west across central Victoria and has warm summers with summer and winter rainfall. The region has been largely cleared (72%).
- Dominated by eucalypt woodlands, eucalypt open forests and mallee woodlands and shrublands.
- The largest area of native vegetation is in the Grampions National Park including large areas of eucalypt woodlands, heath, eucalypt open woodlands, low closed forests and closed shrublands and chenopod and samphire shrublands.
Major land uses are grazing of native and modified pastures, some cropping (large areas of cereals, legumes and oilseeds), native and plantation forestry and nature conservation.
Victorian Volcanic Plain
This bioregion has a small outlier in South Australia. The region is characterised by flat to undulating plains with a temperate climate (warm and dry summers) which have been largely cleared (92%) for sheep and cattle grazing and cropping.
- The largest patch of vegetation, eucalypt open forests, occurs in state forests.
- Eucalypt woodlands occur throughout the region with other small areas of vegetation including mallee woodlands and shrublands, low closed forests and closed shrublands, chenopod and samphire shrublands and lakes.
- Pre-European vegetation was dominated by large areas of eucalypt woodland and open woodland and tussock grasslands.
Major land uses are grazing of native and modified pastures, some nature conservation and cropping.
Mountain Ash (Eucalypt regnans) forest 1939 regrowth, Black Spur, Vic
Photo: Michael Ryan
South East Coastal Plain
This bioregion stretches along the southern coast from Portland to Lakes Entrance in the east with coastal plains and hinterland. Much of the region has been cleared (79%) for urban development, sheep and cattle grazing with a major focus on the dairy industry in the west.
- The western part of the region along the Great Ocean Road is dominated by eucalypt open forests, eucalypt woodland, small areas of eucalypt tall open forests, low closed forests and closed shrublands.
- On the coast acacia shrublands, chenopod and samphire shrublands and heath communities are present.
- On the eastern Gippsland coastal plains the vegetation is dominated by eucalypt open forests, casuarina forests and woodlands, eucalypt woodlands, chenopod and samphire shrublands and coastal occurrences of low closed forests and closed shrublands, heath, eucalypt woodland, grasslands and sedgelands and mangrove communities.
Major land uses are grazing of native and modified pastures, urban and intensive developments, native and plantation forestry, nature conservation, irrigated modified pastures and some horticulture.
Flinders
This bioregion is completely contained within the Wilsons Promontory National Park with a landscape of rugged hills, lowlands and headlands.
- Covered by native vegetation dominated by eucalypt tall open forests, rainforests, other forests and woodlands, eucalypt open forests and heaths.
South East Corner
This bioregion extends into New South Wales and contains coastal plains, river valleys, foothills, tablelands and mountains with some areas cleared in the river valleys, coastal plains and tablelands. It has mild to warm summers with summer and winter rainfall.
- Dominated by large areas of eucalypt tall open forests, eucalypt open forests and eucalypt woodlands.
- Small pockets of rainforest, acacia forests and woodlands, and heath are present with coastal occurrences of a range of forests and woodland communities.
Major land uses are native forestry and nature conservation (Bowen and Snowy River Wilderness Zones) and some plantations, and grazing of native and modified pastures.
South East Highlands
This bioregion extends into New South Wales and is characterised by the mountain ranges and foothills of the Great Dividing Range and the Otway Ranges. The region is sparsely settled with some areas cleared for agriculture and settlement.
- Extensive areas of eucalypt tall open forests, eucalypt open forests, eucalypt woodland and rainforests.
- Small pockets of grasslands and sedgelands, heath, samphire shrublands and acacia forests and woodlands occur.
The most cleared region is larger river valleys of the Strezeleki Ranges in the south. Major land uses are native forestry, nature conservation (Otway and Yarra Ranges National Parks and Avon Wilderness Park), grazing of native and modified pastures and irrigated horticulture.
Australian Alps
This bioregion extends into New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory and is composed of a number of discrete areas which are above 1200 m in altitude and consists of a series of high plateaus and peaks along the Great Dividing Range.
- Grasslands, herblands, sedgelands and rushlands, eucalypt woodlands, chenopod and samphire shrublands, eucalypt tall open forests and pockets of heath dominate the vegetation.
Major land uses are nature conservation (parts of the Mt Buffalo and Alpine National Parks) and some native forestry.
New South Wales South Western Slopes
This bioregion extends into New South Wales and occurs on lower foothill slopes and minor ranges in Victoria. It has hot summers with summer and winter rainfall.
- Remaining native vegetation is dominated by eucalypt woodlands, callitris forests and woodlands and eucalypt tall open forests.
- Patches of low closed forests and closed shrublands, eucalypt open woodlands, grasslands and acacias forests and woodlands occur.
The area has been cleared of eucalypt woodlands for grazing and dryland agriculture with the larger remaining areas of vegetation on the rockier hilly areas. Major land uses are grazing of native and modified pastures, native forests and nature conservation.
Riverina
This bioregion extends into New South Wales and consists of riverine and flood plains with isolated hills. The region has been largely cleared for agriculture including grazing, dryland and irrigated cropping.
- Most remaining vegetation occurs along water courses and is dominated by eucalypt woodlands and eucalypt tall open forests and eucalypt woodlands along the Murray River.
- Small patches of grasslands, tussock grasslands, shrublands and eucalypt open woodland occur in the region.
Major land uses are grazing of native and modified pastures, dryland cropping (cereals and legumes) and irrigated pastures and horticulture.
| Major vegetation group | Present | Pre-European |
|---|---|---|
| Eucalypt woodlands | 25,051 | 78,302 |
| Eucalypt tall open forests | 16,755 | 20,973 |
| Eucalypt open forests | 15,018 | 23,099 |
| Mallee woodland and shrublands | 10,843 | 37,861 |
| Other shrublands | 3,450 | 5,829 |
| Mangroves, tidal mudflats, samphires and bare areas, claypans, sand, rock, salt lakes, lagoons, lakes | 2,257 | 2,397 |
| Other forests and woodlands | 2,186 | 2,583 |
| Chenopod shrubs, samphire shrubs and forblands | 2,038 | 3,103 |
| Heath | 1,801 | 1,859 |
| Eucalypt open woodlands | 1,185 | 23,936 |
| Other grasslands, herblands, sedgelands and rushlands | 1,059 | 2,397 |
| Low closed forests and closed shrublands | 818 | 2,957 |
| Tussock grasslands | 614 | 19,175 |
| Callitris forests and woodlands | 429 | 584 |
| Rainforest and vine thickets | 407 | 445 |
| Acacia forests and woodlands | 400 | 825 |
| Eucalypt low open forests | 180 | 357 |
| Casuarina forests and woodlands | 46 | 46 |
| Melaleuca forests and woodlands | 45 | 182 |
| Acacia shrublands | 14 | 39 |
| Note: * in order of greatest to least area. | ||
Vegetation change
In Victoria, more than 60% or 14.6 million hectares of native vegetation has been cleared, making it proportionally the most cleared of all States. Most remaining native vegetation is on public land in state forests or protected areas and remote from historical development.
Clearing has been mainly for dryland agriculture, livestock grazing, irrigated agriculture and urban development. Remaining vegetation in these landscapes is fragmented and varies in condition. The bioregions most affected by clearing are the Murray Darling Depression, Riverina, Victorian Midlands, Victorian Volcanic Plain, Naracoorte Coastal Plain, South East Coastal Plain, South East Highlands and the South East Corner.
Vegetation types that had the largest areas cleared are the eucalypt woodlands, eucalypt tall open forests, eucalypt open forests and mallee woodlands and shrublands. The vegetation types most cleared relative to their pre-European extent are the tussock grasslands, eucalypt open woodlands, melaleuca forests and woodlands, acacia shrublands, low closed forests and closed shrublands, mallee woodlands and shrublands and eucalypt woodlands.
The Audit assessment of landscape health provides a summary on a subregional basis of the landscape stresses in Victoria including clearing, grazing, feral animals and weeds (NLWRA 2001c).
Before you download
Most publications are downloadable as PDF files. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view PDF files.
If you are unable to access a publication, please contact us to organise a suitable alternative format.
Key
Links to an another web site
Opens a pop-up window