Cumberland subregion BIO Map Core Areas 20150804

## **Abstract** 

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



The Biodiversity Investment Opportunities Map (BIO Map) is a key deliverable of the NSW Government's $40 million Green Corridors program, a Government priority action identified in NSW 2021: A Plan to make NSW number one. The map was prepared with funding provided by the NSW Environmental Trust. BIO Map has been prepared for the Cumberland subregion, a 275 693-hectare area containing the Cumberland Plain, a broad shale basin in Western Sydney. The areas identified for investment are termed priority investment areas, and include core areas (this layer) and biodiversity corridors of regional significance. Mapping criteria were used to identify and map priority investment areas, and targeted stakeholder consultation was conducted to inform the outputs of the project. Stakeholders consulted included the Commonwealth Department of the Environment, six state government authorities, 16 local councils and eight non-government organisations. The final Cumberland subregion BIO Map identifies a network of 87 core areas and 27 regional biodiversity corridors within the Cumberland subregion. The 87 core areas include all of the Priority Conservation Lands identified by the Cumberland Plain Recovery Plan. The total area represented within the mapped priority investment areas is 42,124 hectares. Mapped core areas make up 24,197 hectares. The BIO Map project aims to achieve better biodiversity outcomes by directing biodiversity investment funding to the strategic locations of greatest benefit. A landholder's right to carry out agricultural and developmental activities on their land are not altered by their property being identified as a priority investment area on the BIO Map. The BIO Map identifies areas where landowners have more opportunities to receive funding to protect their bushland. Any involvement by a landowner in such programs is entirely voluntary.

## **Purpose** 

The BIO Map project aims to achieve better biodiversity outcomes by directing biodiversity investment funding to the strategic locations of greatest benefit

## **Dataset History** 

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



Lineage:   Lineage: Core areas are areas of native vegetation and habitat where management will be of greatest benefit to the conservation of state and regional biodiversity values within a region. Combined with state and regional corridors, the areas are termed Priority Investment Areas (PIAs) An updated vegetation map of the study area, where areas cleared up to 2012 were removed, was combined with a Biodiversity Forecaster Tool (BFT) analysis, assessment of current and future land use and connectivity and patch size considerations to identify core areas for the Cumberland subregion. The Plant Community Types (PCTs) mapped in the Cumberland subregion were used to define 30 key state and regional biodiversity values to be included in core areas. Core areas were then identified to represent each of these values to a minimum level of 15% of their existing extent within the Cumberland subregion. The minimum representation of 15% was selected to maintain consistency with the target used to define the Priority Conservation Lands (PCLs) identified by the Cumberland Plain Recovery Plan. This target recognises that many vegetation communities within the Cumberland subregion are substantially cleared and highly fragmented and face ongoing land-use and clearing pressure. The PCLs were incorporated into the BIO Map core areas as a first step. This layer satisfied the target for many PCTs. Lands identified by OEH in a high management viability (HMV) review were also included. Nine PCTs where the target was not met by the PCLs and HMV lands were then targeted for inclusion in core areas, based on patch size, connectivity, BFT result and current and future land use considerations (i.e. viability). The boundaries of these new core areas were predominantly defined using vegetation and/or cadastral boundaries. Many of the key state and regional biodiversity values substantially exceeded the minimum 15% representation target within the 87 core areas identified. Land within regional biodiversity corridors, which does not count towards the minimum target, also considerably increases the representation of some key state and regional biodiversity values within the PIAs. In total the 87 core areas occupy approxiamtely 24,197 hectares. This represents approximately 9% of the Cumberland subregion, or approximately 35% of all mapped vegetation within the subregion. 42 124 hectares are mapped as PIAs when both core areas and corridors are considered . This represents approximately 15% of the Cumberland subregion, or approximately 61% of all mapped vegetation within the subregion. Positional accuracy: Digitising was conducted at a scale of approximately 1:10,000-1:15,000. Attribute accuracy: All attributes have been checked. Completeness: The layer is complete. The layer will require periodic updating to account for any clearing or vegtetation change resulting from future landuse activites.

## **Dataset Citation** 

NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (2015) Cumberland subregion BIO Map Core Areas 20150804. Bioregional Assessment Source Dataset. Viewed 18 June 2018, http://data.bioregionalassessments.gov.au/dataset/14bda271-f0e8-4bfb-91dd-865f8b311d29.

Tags: New South Wales, Sydney Basin bioregion, biota, environment
Organization: Bioregional Assessment Program