Forest patches are mostly clumped in the coastal forested regions, while they become smaller and more dispersed towards the interior of the continent. Forests in the higher rainfall zones of Australia make important contributions to the nation s streamflows. For example, the forested mountains of the upper Murray River comprise only 2per cent of the total Murray-Darling catchment area yet provide 25per cent of its streamflow. The woodlands and mallee forests of relatively dry inland areas are much less important in terms of streamflow. However, their high water use characteristics help maintain a low water table and thus aid the prevention of dryland salinity.
Forest conservation is an important forest use.
Its general aim is to ensure that forest ecosystems and the natural processes that sustain them remain intact for their own sake and for the benefit and enjoyment of future generations of people. To varying extents, this is undertaken across most tenures. Individual States and Territories have developed reserve systems based on a range of conservation principles. In 1992 the National Forest Policy Statement advocated the development of a comprehensive, adequate and representative reserve system for forests occurring in regions where commercial forestry predominates. A nationally agreed set of criteria for such a system has been developed and is currently being applied to designated forests, but the results were not available for inclusion in this report.