Suchergebnisse

Vegetation classification systems form a base for conservation management and the ecological exploration of the patterns and drivers of species' distributions. A standardised system crossing administrative and geographical boundaries is widely recognised as most useful for broad-scale management. The Queensland Government, recognising this, uses the Regional Ecosystem (RE) classification system and accompanying mapping as a state-wide standardised vegetation classification system. This system informs legislation and policy at local, state and national levels, underpinning decisions that have wide-ranging implications for biodiversity and people's livelihoods. It therefore needs to be robust from a scientific and legal perspective. The current approach in the RE system for identifying vegetation communities relies on expert-based class definition procedures. This is in contrast to best practice, which is based on quantitative procedures. This paper discusses the RE system in a global context and outlines the updated approach that incorporates quantitative class definition procedures, synthesises the research behind the updated approach and discusses its implications and implementation.

Classifying and mapping landscapes are tools to simplify complex systems into the discreet subsets widely used in landscape management. In 1999, the Queensland Government adopted a Regional Ecosystems approach as a state-wide landscape classification scheme. For the Cape York Peninsula bioregion in north-eastern Australia, Regional Ecosystems (RE) were initially recognised based on a pre-existing vegetation map and classification for the bioregion. The classification had been developed using expert-techniques based on extensive field plot data. Here, we use numerical analyses to classify the field plot data and identify savanna plant communities associated with two widespread landform groups in the bioregion (the old loamy and sandy plains (land zone 5) and the hills and lowlands on igneous rocks (land zone 12). Communities were identified at the plant association level, using species importance values calculated from foliage cover and vegetation height at each plot. We developed a descriptive-framework for each community using statistically based characterising species and biophysical attributes. We recognise 57 communities compared with 110 that had been previously identified using expert-techniques. This classification is used to recommend refined Regional Ecosystems under the government's regulations. The descriptive-framework supported consistent descriptions of communities and assignment of new sites to the classification. We conclude that incorporating quantitative methods in classifying and describing plant communities will improve the robustness and defensibility of Regional Ecosystems and their use in landscape management across Queensland.

Aims: To develop an interim classification of the vegetation of the Northern Territory at the International Vegetation Classification (IVC) division (level 4) and macrogroup (level 5) levels. These types are produced to assist in the development of an integrated nationwide plot and floristically based classification of Australia allowing integration within a global perspective. Study Area: The Northern Territory of Australia covers an area of 1.42 million square kilometres, almost 20% of Australia's land mass. It comprises three distinct climatic zones including tropical, subtropical and arid vegetation types. Methods: We used collated vegetation data held by two organisations: the Northern Territory Government, Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security and the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (a total of 45,710 plots used). We applied semi-supervised quantitative classification methods to define vegetation types at the IVC division and macrogroup levels. Analyses used kR-CLUSTER methods on presence/absence data. Macrogroups were characterised by taxa with the highest frequency of occurrence across plots. Additional analyses were conducted (cluster) to elucidate interrelationships between macrogroups and to assist in the assessment of division level typology. Results: We propose 21 macrogroups and place these within higher thematic levels of the IVC. Conclusions: We found that the IVC hierarchy and associated standard procedures and protocols provide a useful classification tool for Australian ecosystems. The divisions and macrogroups provide a valid framework for subsequent analysis of Northern Territory vegetation types at the detailed levels of the IVC. A consistent typology for the Northern Territory (and hopefully in future, for all of Australia) has numerous benefits, in that they can be used for various applications using a well-structured, systematic and authoritative description and classification that is placed in a continental and global context, readily enabling the one system to be ...