Revised Northern Comprehensive Regional Assessment (CRA) Habitat Models 2008

This is a collection of 62 fauna species habitat quality models for North-Eastern NSW.  They are a mixture of 100m and 25m grids stored in MGA Zone 56 projection.  These revised models (2007-08) are derived from data prepared for the Upper and Lower North East regions (UNE, LNE) during the Comprehensive Regional Assessment (CRA) in 1998-99 (see https://iar.environment.nsw.gov.au/dataset/habitat-models-for-the-northern-comprehensive-regional-assessment-cra-1999).  Data updated by this project were provided at a scale appropriate for regional planning and extended the CRA ‘public land only’ models across all tenures.
Important note: the final report accompanying this data is not available. This asset description has been generated based on the recommendations made in the "Finalisation of the RACAC Project: Updating UNE and LNE ecosystems data for planning, 2004" report. 
The new fauna habitat models were produced as part of the finalisation of the Resource and Conservation Assessment Council (RACAC) project. The objective of this project was to provide the best possible data as a basis for conservation planning and management across all land tenures by updating the data layers from the CRA (1999). It was recognised in the CRA outcomes that some work was not completed, and some of the fauna models could be greatly improved. It was recommended that the revised models were developed with input from experts with knowledge of the species habitat in NE NSW. 
A subset of the CRA fauna models were selected for remodelling. The report recommended that candidate species for remodelling be selected by application of the following criteria:
•   forested and non-forested habitats
•   conservation status of species
•   tenure covered by CRA model
•   quality of CRA model
•   contribution to species assemblages important for conservation planning
•   adequacy of existing data
•   availability, quality, and distribution of new data
•   type of new data (presence/absence, presence only)
•   potential for model improvement (role of new environmental data)
•   available budget
The focus of the original CRA modelling was on species vulnerable to habitat disturbance. In selecting species for remodelling, it was recommended that priority be given to species formally listed as ‘endangered' or ‘vulnerable’ under the TSC Act (1995) or those species with regional populations considered at risk. The report also recommended that consideration be given to modelling some species under various scenarios for predicted climate change, as well as species with models originally confined to public land (approximately 25%). The report states that the aim of modelling a subset of species would be to guide effort on the development of high-quality models as opposed to spreading effort across all species.
See Appendix 2 (pg.29-35) in report for a full summary of fauna habitat models developed for the CRA process and comments regarding recommendations for prioritisation of species for remodelling. 
The report outlining options for the completion of the RACAC project (Finalisation of the RACAC Project: Updating UNE and LNE ecosystems data for planning, 2004) expands on the recommendations for updating the CRA fauna habitat models. The report is stored for internal access under P:\Corporate\Products\Biodiversity\Habitat\HabitatModels_CRA_Nthn
Finalisation of the RACAC Project: Updating UNE and LNE ecosystems data for planning, 2004. Prepared by North East EPRD CADU October 2004.
Please see the associated data and official report (1999) for description of initial model development: https://iar.environment.nsw.gov.au/dataset/habitat-models-for-the-northern-comprehensive-regional-assessment-cra-1999
The following 51 fauna habitats were modelled in both the CRA project (1999) and in the finalisation of the RACAC project (2008):
•   0021     Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove
•   0023     Superb Fruit-Dove
•   0183     Black-necked Stork
•   0196     Black Bittern
•   0248     Powerful Owl
•   0250     Masked Owl
•   0253     Sooty Owl
•   0351     Albert's Lyrebird
•   0355     Rufous Scrub-bird
•   0376     White-eared Monarch
•   0610     Mangrove Honeyeater
•   1008     Tiger Quoll (spotted-tailed quoll in data)
•   1150     Eastern Pygmy-possum
•   1175     Long-nosed Potoroo
•   1245     Parma Wallaby
•   1280     Pteropus poliocephalus (Grey-headed flying-fox in data)
•   1282     Pteropus Alecto (Black flying-fox in data)
•   1290     Nyctimene robinsoni (Eastern tube-nosed bat in data)
•   1294     Syconycteris australis (Eastern Blossom-bat in data)
•   1336     Nyctophilus bifax (Eastern long-eared bat in data)
•   2124     Eulamprus tryoni
•   2294     Ophioscincus truncatus
•   3007     Assa darlingtoni
•   3008     Mixophyes fleayi
•   3075     Mixophyes iteratus
•   3107     Philoria kundagungan
•   3109     Philoria sphagnicolus
•   3166     Litoria aurea
•   3168     Litoria booroolongensis
    3186     Litoria subglandulosa
•   3202     Litoria olongburensis
•   3217     Litoria piperata
•   9006     Philoria pughi
•   9007     Philoria richmondensis
•   0017     Black-breasted Button-quail
•   0025     Wompoo Fruit-Dove
•   0405     Olive Whistler
•   0428     Barred Cuckoo-shrike
•   0519     Eastern Bristlebird
•   1234     Red-legged Pademelon
•   1260     Black-striped Wallaby
•   1341     Miniopterus schreibersii (Eastern Bent-wing bat in data)
•   1346     Miniopterus australis (Little Bentwing-bat in data)
•   1438     Broad-toothed Rat
•   1464     Hastings River Mouse
•   2293     Coeranoscincus reticulatus
•   2677     Hoplocephalus stephensii (Stephens Banded Snake in data)
•   3108     Philoria loveridgei
•   3137     Crinia tinnula
•   1369     Golden-tipped Bat
•   0314     Marbled Frogmouth
The following 11 species habitats were modelled only for the RACAC project (2008):
•   3001     Adelotus brevis
•   3172     Litoria castanea
•   3303     Litoria daviesae
•   2039     Anomalopus mackayi
•   0008     Australian Brush Turkey
•   0261     Coxen’s Fig-parrot 
•   0311     Eastern Ground Parrot
•   0001     Emu
•   0327     Collared Kingfisher 
•   0667     Black-throated finch 
•   I023             Black Grass-dart Butterfly (1m grid)

Tags: Fauna, Habitat model, Multiple species modelling
Organization: NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water